Roses of the Death Goddess
by D'nnome
Summary: On their way to Atlas, the group was ambushed in the night. Ren and Ruby were caught in a devastating blast, and they find themselves in Karakura Town with chains to their chests. Ren and Ruby are dead, but death will not keep them away from Remnant for long. Join their journey with Ichigo as they become stronger as Soul Reapers and rescue Rukia from Soul Society and so on.
1. Dying to Another World

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. Rest in peace you saint of a choreography genius. We all still miss you :(**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?**

 **Chapter 1: Dying to Another World**

It was a quiet night on Remnant. After the battle at Haven, the group made haste to Atlas to secure the relic they managed to win from Salem's forces. It was a major victory, and Team RWBY was finally reunited. But such happiness and joy would always follow a sorrow and sourness that would equal or exceed.

Qrow was keeping watch while all the kids slept. He could hardly call them kids after what they did. They got a relic! He could hardly believe it himself, and almost didn't want to drink his flask so he can savor the moment. Well, almost.

When Qrow got through to only half of the alcohol, a rustle in the leaves caught his senses. He grabbed his buster sword and investigated. His eyes peered into the darkness around him, but Qrow got nothing. Neither did he smell or hear anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he couldn't at all.

Qrow realized in time to hold up his buster sword to his right flank. Steel clashed against steel and Qrow was plowed through the thicket of the forest. He looked ahead to see a scar in the earth and forest where he was crashing, and a lone figure of shadow standing before him.

"I didn't finish my drink." said Qrow, raising his buster sword at his attacker, "That was one hell of a mistake."

 **"Qrow,"** said the attacker in a cold voice, **"Branwen. The Queen has ordered for the heads of you - and the daughter of Summer."**

Qrow gripped his sword tighter. In the shadows, he saw the stranger wield two blades. He charged Qrow head on, and the Brawnwen smiled. He brought down his sword with tremendous speed and felt his blade go through flesh and bone. On the ground at Qrow's feet was an arm. It was the farthest from human as its skin was plated with thick black scales, and the hand instead was the blade. It turned into ash as though slaying a Grimm.

"Oh great." said Qrow, facing his opponent, "It's a weird one."

His opponent only rumbled like an animal would. He heard bone crack and Qrow raised an eyebrow as the blade he just cut off appeared again.

"Regeneration." grumbled Qrow, "Fantastic, dammit."

But Qrow's opponent was not only sent to kill him, but also separate him from the others.

Everyone awoke with a rush of adrenaline as soon as they heard Qrow crashing through the woods. They grabbed their weapons like it was second nature and took defensive positions. Crescent Rose sat neatly in Ruby's arms in rifle mode, and her companion aimed their long-range weapons to their surroundings. Lie Ren kept a cool composure, senses sharp. His nape stung from his "sixth" sense, and he raised his twin dagger guns to block a strike aimed for everyone.

The figure was completely black, so his features were hidden in the night. From what they could make out, the attacker was masculine, but had a slender tail whipping about. Yellow slits for eyes stared at the group.

"Fire at will." ordered Jaune.

Ruby, Yang, Nora, Blake, and Ren fired at the opponent. He didn't seem to get hit in the slightest in the rain of bullets. He seemed to slither through their fire even. However, Ren kept an eye on his movements, or rather all his senses.

"There you are." said Ren.

Ren's prediction was correct and his daggers dug into flesh and pinned the attacker in the center of the group. Yang and Blake worked in unison in close-combat, fire and clones going all over the place. The ninja of JNPR stayed his distance firing his pistols on the enemy. His tail caught Yang's punch and threw her at Blake, who made a clone to avoid it. Blake threw her rope, but it was caught by the adversary. She was pulled forward, and an arm swung at her head to the ground. A blade appeared in his raised hand over the faunas. Ruby saved her teammate zipping at tremendous speeds and chopped at the attacker's arm with Crescent Rose.

The attacker staggered back from the pain. Jaune ordered Nora to pummel him down with her hammer, and Yang and Ruby joined her in the effort. Yang's punches felt like they were hitting iron after every impact. Just then, the arm with the blade appeared all of a sudden. Ruby held it down and Yang grabbed hold of the tail. Nora ascended into the air and brought down her hammer with all her strength. Yang and Ruby jumped back from the shockwave, and Nora landed behind them from the force of her strike.

The attacker was on the ground like a squished bug. In the distance, they could hear Qrow still in battle with his opponent. The crack of bone got the group on guard, and Ruby anchored her reaper into the ground to prepare to fire high-caliber shots. Slowly, the attacker regenerated himself, fixing the smashed bones, and getting to his feet. Those yellow eyes stared at Oscar.

 **"Ozpin,"** said the attacker in a cold, maniacal voice, **"you've raised these children. Perhaps better than goody-goody Summer. The girl seems to take a lot from her."**

Yang took a couple shots at the attacker at the chest and arms. Blood dripped to the ground, but the figure only laughed. His tail folded somewhere behind his back.

 **"But a fool is still a fool, no matter how many times you die."** said the servant of Salem. A button was clicked and they saw a flashing green light in his right hand. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the middle of everyone else. Up close, they could see the smile of a complete lunatic. **"How about an Anit-Aura Bomb at point-blank range?! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."**

To prevent repulsion, the maniac anchored himself into the ground with his tail. Ren knew too well what he meant by Anti-Aura. Their own aura would be used to kill them, no matter how much they had. Ren did the only thing he could do. He manipulated his aura in an offensive manner and repelled his friends away. He was glad to find them all at a safe distance and already was at peace with his death. When Ren looked to his side, dread filled him. Only one person wasn't blown away from his repulsion: Ruby Rose.

"NO!" exclaimed Oscar in terror.

Ren, Ruby, and the servant of Salem were engulfed in an explosion of green light. The force of the explosion knocked everyone down to their feet. When they came to from their daze, they all cluttered around the blast zone. The ground was blackened with soot and ash.

"Ruby." called Yang, "Ruby, where are..."

Yang, Weiss, and Blake simultaneously sank to their knees when they reached the epicenter. Nora went on all fours, tears flowing down her cheeks. Jaune, in his disbelief, could barely breath and his shield and sword dropped to his feet. Qrow arrived with his fair share of wounds. He finally managed to beat the bastard by cutting him in half, but all hope was drained out of him. He wanted some higher power to smite him down for letting Summer down for his failure.

"Summer, I'm sorry." Qrow whimpered, "I - couldn't protect her."

"No, this can't be happening." whimpered Weiss, "Ruby... our Ruby..."

"Not like this." said Blake, "It can't go on like this."

"Not my Ren." cried Nora.

"Ruby." cried Yang, losing all her inner strength, "No, Ruby... Ruby... RUBY!"

There weren't even bodies to bury. Their aura was gone from this world of monsters. The only thing to remember Ruby and Ren were their broken weapons in a smouldering pile.

* * *

 _(In Karakura Town.)_

Ruby groaned awake. She felt no pain, which she expected from the blast. Not even anything to be honest. The bright, cloudless sky hurt her eyes, but she soon adapted. She found herself laying on grass. Below her was a concrete sidewalk by a river. Across that river was a bridge she has never seen before, and in the distance was civilization more vibrant than anything else. To her right side was Ren, just coming to.

"Where," said Ruby, her voice weak, "where are we?"

Ruby almost gasped when she saw a chain coming from Ren's chest. She looked down and saw the exact same one, at least three times as long as her height (not that it was big at all). She pulled on the chain to get it off, but collapsed from unbearable pain in her chest. The chains were literally attached to their bodies.

"What is this thing?" wondered Ruby, getting to her feet.

"I don't know." Ren answered in his usual flat tone, "but where we are, it isn't anything in Remnant."

The last they could remember was a servant of Salem attacking them. He suddenly appeared in their formation with a bomb in hand. Ren pushed everyone away, but Ruby had anchored herself in the ground. There was green flash, and for a moment a burning pain all over her body like no other. Then, she woke up here.

Her hand touched something familiar and Ruby's eyes dazzled on her little baby, Crescent Rose. Whatever trip they took was worth it as long as she had her reaper. In her hands, Ruby could tell it had a far more deeper sensation like it was a literal part of her. It only made Ruby hug it like a teddy bear.

Ren also had his dagger submachine pistols, Storm Flower. He was perplexed how in that explosion they still had their weapons. Much less how they were still alive. The chains on their chests had something about that.

Suddenly, they heard multiple shrieks. It reminded of a Nevermore, but more blood-curdling. They raised their weapons to face Grimm. From above they found a swarm of monsters. At first, Ruby thought they were Grimm, but there were obvious differences. First, their faces were white, but were more like masks. Secondly, was their skin. It wasn't just black with bits of red. They were all randomly colored throughout the entire spectrum dulled down by a shade of gray. Thirdly, each and every single one was unique in size and shape. One key feature between all of them is that they had a hole going through them.

"These aren't any normal Grimm." said Ruby, aiming Crescent Rose.

"I don't think they are Grimm at all." noted Ren.

Ruby opened fired, but paused on the first shot. It was a reflex, but Ruby noticed there wasn't even a trigger or a clip on Crescent Rose. She was aghast, but one thought came to her head that put a smile on her face.

"Ren, I don't know how," cried Ruby, zipping away from a monster's arm, "but we got unlimited ammo."

Ruby didn't stop sending as many sniper shots at the storm of "Grimm". With each shot, the Grimm were instantly killed and disappeared just like Grimm. Even Ren's machine gun firing took out as many as his bullets. He decided to get up and personal with his daggers. He jumped and dodged like a true ninja, and with each motion in his step Ren delivered a counter attack. In just five seconds, Ren dashed through a group and they disappeared.

Ruby wasn't one to be shown up and decided to let loose with Crescent Rose. After a normal slice through one, Ruby placed her reaper behind the head of another. She fired and took out two, one with the shot and the other with its head chopped off. One prepared to pounce, but Ruby swiftly chopped through it legs, spun, and sliced the head off. She spun her Crescent Rose so fast the air was like a death trap to anyone who got close.

She jumped over when a monster swiped at its legs and landed above its shoulder. She fired and the recoil launched Ruby into the air and beheaded the monster. She took a few shots from the air, taking down at least four, then aimed the other way to use the recoil for extra speed to ram her legs into a monster to the ground.

More were on their way. Ruby raised her weapon, but it felt so heavy she dropped to her knees. Her body was sweating, and Ruby gasped for breath. Ren was in no better shape then she was, and he was on one knee. When he aimed his pistol at a Grimm, nothing came out and Ren was completely out of it.

Ruby curled her lip. "How? We weren't using our semblance that much."

"It could be that unlimited ammo," said Ren, "wasn't limitless."

They could only stay there helpless as the swarm of "Grimm" swarmed them. Ruby closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

 **"Scream, Benihime."**

A red light engulfed the "Grimm" and the entire area exploded, taking them all out. Ren and Ruby looked everywhere from where that blast came from. To their left down the sidewalk was a man in wearing wooden sandals, a green roomy robe, and a hat that shadowed away his face. He had a constant smile on his face and gave off this weird vibe.

"So," said the stranger, "I wasn't the only one attracted to the weird Reishi levels. I come here and I find a girl in a red hood and a ninja in a green outfit. I gotta say, you put up quite the decent fight before I got here."

"Thanks," said Ruby, regaining strength in her legs. "for saving me and Ren from those Grimm."

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Grimm?"

Ruby and Ren exchanged perplexed looks of their own. How could a person not know what a Grimm is and yet he just slew a bunch of them? However, they didn't look like any Grimm they've ever seen.

"You know." explained Ruby, "The monsters that always attack people. Usually look like animals, but are black and red. Uh, attracted to bad emotions."

"Hmm." responded the stranger, "Sounds like Hollows and these 'Grimm' are alike. Interesting. Where would I find one of these Grimm?"

Again, Ruby was dumbfounded and was speechless for a moment.

"Wha-" exclaimed Ruby then calmed down, "They are the monsters all over Remnant. As in the entire world."

"Remnant?" wondered the stranger, "Okay, so either I'm so out of touch with the world, which is impossible. Or - you two are really not from around here. The latter makes more sense considering that I've never seen that Reiatsu off of you. Might I ask your names."

"This is Ruby Rose." introduced Ren, "I am known as Lie Ren."

"Ruby and Ren, huh?" said the stranger, "My name is Urahara Kisuke, and welcome to Karakura Town, home to 10,000."

"10,000!?" exclaimed Ruby, "How are there so many people here with all these monsters?"

"Now, you see," explained Kisuke, clearing his throat, "Hollows are spirits of people who couldn't pass on and their chain of fate eaten away. People can't see them unless they have a high spiritual power, like you two have. Those Hollows usually go for prey with the highest power, so that's why they were so many here after you. However, the obvious reason besides your high spiritual power, is well... how can I put this? You two are from another world named Remnant, right?"

Ruby nodded, but with a nervous manner. Urahara pointed his sword at their chains.

"See that chain?" said Urahara, "That's your chain of fate which a spirit has when cut off from their bodies. I'm sorry to say this, but... you died to get here. The two of you are dead."

Dead?! Ruby didn't believe it, and Ren let out the first gasp she has ever seen. She looked down at the chain connected to her chest. As she touched it, it wasn't like an inanimate object. It was like touching something like your arm or leg. It was a part of her. Contradictory, Ruby should be hungry but she felt completely satisfied. Her knees buckled to the ground, and she felt like the world was playing on her a cruel joke of fate.

"Dead?!" panicked Ruby, flailing her arms around, freaking out, "I can't be dead. We just won against Salem. Team RWBY was back together. Without me, everyone's gonna be so sad. And Yang and Dad. And Zwei can't be alone. Nonononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono..."

Kisuke looked to Ren, and was surprised to find him far more composed.

"Aren't you distraught?" asked Kisuke.

Ren answered. "I was ready to die. I'm only shocked that Ruby came with me."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" said Kisuke, impressed by Ren's mentality. "Well, you're in luck. Because you've got power that death isn't gonna be the end of you, and yours truly, the genius of all, to bring you back from whatever world you came from."

"NOOOOO- What?" said Ruby, her expression changing into glowing eyes and a bright smile. Urahara was caught off by Ruby's speed and found herself an over-sized teddy bear for Ruby. "You can bring us back, and we're not gonna be dead?! Oh, thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"

Urahara managed to keep Ruby away with his cane. She looked like she didn't care and her arms reached out to Urahara.

"It's a possibility, not a guarantee." Urahara elaborated, "But I'm excited in the process in which how much stronger you might become. Whatever troubles you have in your world, you may get back stronger than ever to deal with them."

* * *

Urahara brought Ruby and Ren to his home: a dingy shop that sold all types of things. He opened a trapdoor and a ladder descended into the depths without end.

"Don't be nervous." assured Urahara, studying their worried looks, "It's completely safe. I'll introduce you to my accomplices."

After Urahara, Ruby and Ren followed him. Ruby held in a gasp as she looked upon a canyon like grounds stretching all around as far as the eye could see. All of it was just under that little shop. Once they made ground, Urahara led them to a group waiting for them, and he pointed to each of them to call their names. The tallest and most buff was Tessai, the boy with the red hair was Jinta, the little girl Jinta's age was Ururu, and the last one was their training partner with orange hair by the name of Ichigo.

"I would like to introduce," said Urahara glancing to Ren and Ruby, "some dead visitors by the name of Ruby and Ren. Ichigo, they'll be training with you to become Soul Reapers."

"Soul Reapers?" wondered Ruby.

"These two?!" said Ichigo, raising an eyebrow, "Why these two random spirits?"

"Oh, my friend Ichigo." said Urahara, unfolding a fan, "These aren't some ordinary spirits. They both have a high spiritual energy like yourself, and handled themselves pretty well when a swarm of Hollows went after them. So much that I'm gonna let them skip Lesson 1 so they can join you, Ichigo, for Lesson 2."

Urahara glanced at Ruby's silver eyes. He could tell there was a power in them he has never seen before.

"Okay." said Ichigo flatly.

"I'm fine with that." said Ruby, "So when does-"

Suddenly, Tessai cut Ichigo's spirit chain that was connected to his body. Next, Ren and Ruby's chains were cut at the same length as Ichigo's, and they felt a shocking sensation through their body. Three pits formed below Ichigo, Ren, and Ruby that seemed endless. The light above them was so dim and small, but they could still hear Urahara's voice and the others in the pits.

"This is Lesson 2." called Urahara, "Either you become a Soul Reaper in the time span of 72 hours, or you become a Hollow and we'll be forced to kill you."

"Bastard." roared Ichigo from his pit, "When I get out of here, I'm gonna beat you down for this."

Ruby and Ren didn't say anything. They accepted for they knew no other way. This was the only way to get home and get stronger. Ruby only needed the thoughts of Yang, Weiss, and Blake to motivate her and keep her calm.

'Everybody,' thought Ruby, 'I'll be home soon.'

* * *

 **I got the idea of killing off Ruby and Ren because it was "hinted" that they would die in Vol. 6, and the worlds of RWBY and Bleach are kind of the same thing. The story right now will be focused on the invasion of Soul Society with Ruby and Ren joining Ichigo as well. Anything up to that probably won't be out until I see Vol. 6.**

 **Stay in touch. Please leave a review.**


	2. Becoming Soul Reapers

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 2: Becoming Soul Reapers**

Ruby, Ren, and Ichigo had their arms sealed in this iron cast. They were told about this encroachment, where their chains of fate would eat themselves and pause in the span of 72 hours. When it reaches their chest, they will become a Hollow. The prospect frightened Ruby, but she steadied herself only with the thoughts of her friends.

The challenge was to get out of the pit, or that's what Urahara says. Even with her speed, Ruby only made it halfway at max. When she landed back on the bottom, she instantly got to her feet. Suddenly, there was a spike of huge pain on her chest, or rather on a part of her chest. Ruby looked down in horror as the chain grew two mouths and started eating itself. The pain was so much, Ruby screamed in pain. She could even hear Ren and Ichigo from the other pits scream in agony as well. Soon it stopped after a chain and the mouths disappeared.

'So that's the encroachment.' thought Ruby, panting, 'Crap, this is gonna be harder than I thought. If I don't make it out of here, I'm gonna turn into one of those monsters.'

Ururu and Jinta looked down Ruby's pit. Unlike for Ichigo, they seemed to worry for her sake since she was more child-like and innocent.

"Poor girl." said Ururu, "She must be scared to death."

'I wonder what I'll be if I become a Hollow.' thought Ruby, distracted in her own imagination, 'Will I grow wings? Ooh, that'll be cool if their white and feathery. And those masks? I guess if I have to choose - it would have be a puppy like Zwei.'

"Hey," called Jinta, "are you hungry yet?"

Ruby stirred from a sleep she didn't remember taking. She managed to get to her knees and looked up.

"Actually," answered Ruby at the top of her lungs, "I haven't been hungry ever since I got to this world."

"That's good." shouted Jinta, "If you were hungry, that's a bad sign. That would mean that the encroachment would be almost done."

Ruby smiled nervously. "Well, good thing for not being hungry."

"Keep that positive attitude and you just might become a Soul Reaper." shouted Jinta.

That made Ruby feel a little better about herself. She looked to her right as she heard Ichigo's voice. He shouted something about why he wasn't getting encouragement like that.

Jinta looked to the pit Ren was in. It was completely silent the entire time he was in there.

"Jeez." said Jinta, "He hasn't done anything to get out. Makes you wonder if he's given up or not."

* * *

Ren was far from giving up. In fact, he may have gotten a clue of this Soul Reaper power. It was all theory and guess, but it's the best he had. With his arms sealed, Ren positioned himself in the best meditation posture he could. The silence was perfect for his concentration, and he went into a complete silence into his mind and soul. His Aura came to life around and managed to manifest into a purple light around him. He was better than anyone with his Aura and how to manipulate almost like a Semblance. Ren always thought meditating would bring out more of his Aura's power. Ever since he came to this world, that seemed to be working.

At first, Ren was in darkness. Then, there was a blinding light, and Ren found himself walking on a water's surface. In the distance all around him were trees with the greenest of flowers, but no matter how far he went they never got closer. He felt like everywhere was himself somehow, but had no idea where he was.

A little soft bark caught his attention. Ren looked down to find a little red fox pup at his feet. When he looked back, he found that he was surrounded by so many of these fox pups they took over the surface of the lake. Some were green, others had different eye colors, and some had stripes. A bit flustered of the absolute number, he soon regained composure. This was Ren's test, and the greatest one in his life.

A green fox with black stripes caught his eye. When Ren reached down to pet it, it bit his hand and disappeared into the water.

"So that's what will happen if I choose the wrong one." said Ren.

Ren couldn't just choose any fox at random. For all he knew, Ren only had a few hours before he would turn into a monster. A normal person would just panic and pick every single to just get bit.

 _You know who I am. You know better than anyone else._

Ren wondered where the voice was. It was like a boy and girl's voice speaking simultaneously, and it resonated from everywhere all around him like ghost haunting him. Actually, Ren could swear sounded like Nora and himself when they were younger. There was no conventional way to succeed.

Ren brought out his Aura again. In his inner world, the sky became purple instead of a light around him. Such negative emotions drained away from him leaving his mind as peaceful as his inner world. He felt like he was back in Remnant, that Vale never fell and he was living happily with JNPR again. Ren imagined himself walking with Nora as they were discussing something.

"I heard that Ruby has a little puppy named Zwei." said Nora, "Ren, don't you ever think of getting a little puppy?"

"Sometimes." responded Ren, "I would actually like to get a little fox pup."

"A fox?" said Nora smiling, "Ren that's cute. If I was going to decide what it would look like, it would be-"

"-white with a bit of blue and orange," said Ren in his inner world, reaching his hands out, "but it has to have the most wondrous blue eyes."

Ren's hands caught something. All the foxes around him disappeared except for one that he held in his hands. Like he described out loud, the fox had soft white fur with blue and orange stripes and beautiful blue eyes. On its head and root of its six tails was a white blue flame.

Ren smiled, and held it close like a puppy. The fox licked his face, and he responded petting its head.

"Nora would love you." said Ren.

 _Of course she would. It's me, Kakushifokkusu._

For some reason, Ren couldn't hear the fox's name. Yet, he could feel the spiritual power surging around them. It's a power everyone has, but it takes one to look between the outside and the inside to find it. This is Ren's Zanpakuto. The power of a Soul Power.

Ren's Shattered Shaft became a geyser for a white green energy. A man's silhouette ascended from the pit. The reiatsu dimmed away and back into Ren. He wasn't that much different, but he had black sleeves this time going down his arms to signify his Soul Reaper powers. At Ren's hip was a sword with a purple fur tag, and the guard made to look like the tail of a fox. He unsheathed the Zanpakuto, revealing its full length to be just over his height, but as wide as his arm.

Behind his fan, Kisuke was quite surprised that Ren was the first to make it out as a Soul Reaper. He folded it up his fan and approached Ren with a big smile.

"Well, done." cheered Kisuke, clapping casually, "Absolutely astounding. You've got quite the talent there, Ren. I would take you to Lesson 3, but you're about 35 hours ahead of Ichigo and Ruby."

"35 hours!?" exclaimed Ren, then regained his composure, "I didn't expect to outdo them at all."

"Ah, don't fret about it." said Kisuke, waving his fan, "This gives us plenty of time to hone that impressive reiatsu of yours."

Kisuke reached into his sleeves and tossed Ren a book. He could tell as he flipped through the pages it was a vessel of powerful knowledge of a power he has never heard of. The front read: "The Art of Kido."

"I'm curious how far you'll get in Kido with that talent of yours." said Kisuke, taking a seat and setting down a tea pot and cups, "But we have a lot of time on our hands."

Seeing nothing else to do, Ren took a seat by Kisuke. The tea pot was heated over a fire, and Ren studied the Kido book. They dictated certain spells as a fighting method other than one's Zanpakuto by focusing their spiritual power into something that was like magic. It was a little much for Ren to take in, but he kept his composure with a steady intake of breath. He's gotten this far and he may as well go farther.

"Don't get too stressed out." said Kisuke, looking through Ren like he was glass, "Let's spend the time the only way you can. Please, tell me all about Remnant and these Grimm."

Ren nodded and told, "Our world of Remnant is - our world but complicated to explain to you. There are four continents with scattered villages and towns, but only four cities stand strong against our greatest enemy. The Grimm. To this day, we know so little about them. What we do is that they possess no soul, and are attracted to the negative emotions of humanity. That is why our world cannot afford war, and thus we lived in harmony with each other, so to say at least."

"Hmm." responded Kisuke, deeply invested with Ren's story, "Sounds like these Grimm are such a problem that they've limited your civilization. Hollows are definitely different in the sense they go after those with high reiatsu, not negative emotions. Even so, humanity flourishes well here."

"However," continued Ren, pouring himself a cup of green tea once the teapot was boiling, "conflict with the Grimm is unavoidable. So our four cities created the academies to train Huntsman and Huntresses to combat them. As they are soulless creatures, the power of a soul is the best way to combat them. That power is what we call an Aura, and it comes with a trait unique to the individual called a Semblance."

"Auras and Semblances, huh?" said Kisuke, drinking his tea, "You've definitely piqued my interest. Would you mind showing me this Semblance of yours?"

"I'm not sure you would notice it." said Ren, "My Semblance blocks out negative emotions from myself and others in close-range. So I've developed my Aura to become a defensive and offensive measure most of my peers haven't come close to."

Ren breathed through his nose and out through his mouth. A purple light shimmered around him and created a barrier. Kisuke noted this as he held his chin.

"Never in my long existence..." Kisuke said with awe.

Ren noticed something different about his Aura. It was heavy like armor around him, yet there was no physical weight to it. He raised his Zanpakuto over his arm, and Kisuke raised an eyebrow wondering what he was doing. Suddenly, Ren brought down the blade without hesitance, but it was halted just a few centimeters from contact. The blade sparked off Ren's Aura like it was grinding against steel as well.

Kisuke let out a whistle. "You're like a walking tank if that's the power you had. Enhanced with the Soul Reaper powers you got, you could go through anything."

"Yeah, that was surprising." Ren added, "Our Aura would normally make fatal wounds into small minor injuries that would be completely healed. I never imagined Aura could become like this."

Ren paid more attention to the Kido book in his hands. From what he could gather, the basics were to manipulate one's energy through their arms. He was confident he could pull that off. The book also detailed the incantations which were no short sentences, but it did relax Ren when it detailed the spells can be simplified by saying the branch's name (ex, Hado), the number of the spell, then the spell's actual name.

He glanced to the two Shattered Shafts where they housed Ichigo and Ruby. Ren felt he needed to do something to ease Ruby's passage as a Soul Reaper. There was nothing worse than killing her _again_.

"Don't try it." warned Kisuke, his eyes giving off a deadly vibe, "They have to do this on their own."

* * *

 _37 hours later._

Ruby was down to a few chains just as Ichigo was. Her ears heard the faint sounds of Jinta and Ichigo, which was basically teasing Ichigo if he was hungry. If that was supposed to scare them, Ruby smiled at the links of chains she got left. But Jinta then spoke in a very sinister voice that made her heart stop.

"The final encroachment... is nothing like the other ones."

Suddenly, Ruby looked down in terror as all her chains grew mouths. She and Ichigo screamed in agony and complete terror as the chains ate themselves to their chests. The plate disintegrated away, and Ruby gasped as her chest was made hollow with a hole. A pain rose up her ears and mouth, and both Ichigo and Ruby screamed in pain as this white matter flowed out of their ears and mouth.

The choking wasn't the worst of it, but it was the pain of the white substance clinging onto their face to make a mask. Her body wrenched with so much pain like it would explode, but Ruby and Ichigo wouldn't let it happen. They can't let it end like this.

When Ren heard Ruby screaming in pain, he sprinted to her Shattered Shaft. Suddenly, Kisuke vanished and reappeared in front of Ren to stop him. From their conversation over the course of 37 hours, Ren learned that was a flash step.

"Wait." said Kisuke, glancing down Ruby's pit, "They may be hope they'll make it out of it. Normally, when a spirit turns into a Hollow, the body explodes and reforms into a Hollow. But in their case, the order is all mixed up and the Hollow is trying to make the mask first. That shows that they are resisting the Hollowification and they just pull through."

Ren curled his lips and tightened his fists.

'You're strong Ruby.' thought Ren, 'For your age, you're very strong. I hope - I know you'll make it through this.'

Ruby and Ichigo continued to cry out in agony. The white matter for some reason kept away from her eyes. As she descended into the darkness as a Hollow, the light of her eyes shined once again.

Ruby found herself in a familiar meadow. It was the same one that was at her home where she grew up. The difference the sky was as silver as her eyes, and the whole meadow was covered in red roses.

"It's so good to see you, petal." said the voice of an angel, full of care and softness.

Ruby turned around and her silver eyes widened. Floating in the air was a woman with Ruby's facial complexion aged to adulthood and longer dark red hair. She wore a white cloak that wrapped around her entire body, but it was also red on the inside. The girl knew exactly who she was from the pictures she saw as a child, and Ruby cried causing her inner world to rain.

"Mom..." whimpered Ruby.

"In a way." said 'Summer', floating down in front of Ruby, "A part that stayed with you."

Suddenly, Summer strained as though fighting an urge. Her lips curled down in the same whimper Ruby had, and she reached out a hand. The next thing came as total shock, and Ruby found herself in her mother's grasp with Summer's arms wrapped soothingly around her.

"I-I can't do the act." cried Summer, "My little petal. My sweet, sweet little girl."

Ruby could feel tears going down Summer's cheeks. She remembered this grip that Summer had on Ruby. The caring and motherly hands of Ruby's mother that she missed so much. Ruby responded hugging Summer and crying as well.

"Mommy..." whimpered Ruby.

Sniveling, Summer let go of Ruby and looked down with a smile while still crying. Her cheeks were flushed red just like Ruby. Summer's hand touched Ruby's cheek and she nuzzled it against Summer's fair fingers.

"All this time," said Ruby, "you were always there."

"And I'll never leave you, Ruby." confirmed Summer.

Ruby's senses came back to her as she remembered the situation. "But I can't just stay here. Right now, I'm turning into a Hollow."

"I've noticed." said Summer, putting on a more serious look, "This inner world Ruby is still vibrant, so we've got time. I don't know how all this Soul Reaper stuff is supposed to work myself, but I do know how you should find that power."

"Tell me, please." said Ruby.

Summer smiled. "At least Tai and Qrow have managed to teach you manners. Well, the only thing I can tell you is to find the rose that I picked before you were born, The rose that helped give you a name."

A rose?! Ruby looked around her. There were so many roses on this meadow and it stretched as far as the eye could see. Summer could see the distress in Ruby's eyes. In fact, those sliver eyes were the key.

"Has Ozpin really not taught you thing about your eyes?!" exclaimed Summer, then calming down, "Your special Ruby. Special like me. Special because of those eyes. They reflect the power of the moon, sun, and stars of the endless cosmos. Do not search by looking. Find it because you know. Do not be lost. Those eyes see the truth of everything at first glance. They see the mirrors of reality, have powers of the light, and fill the void. I know, little petal, that you can feel it."

Ruby was at a complete loss at what Summer was saying. But those words resonated at some instinct that was silent in Ruby. It faintly reminded her of the pain of losing her dear friends. Ruby latched onto that feeling and went deeper into the mysteries of herself. In the wake of it all, the sky shimmered to create a silver sun that sent white flares dancing through the sky. Everything wasn't seen to her. It was all known. The true sight through the void that her eyes pierced.

Ruby didn't need to look at the meadow to find what she was looking for. Her feet acted on its own and made her dash across the infinite plains. She opened her eyes and her right hand she held a rose. It was unlike any rose Ruby had ever seen. Its petals held a silver shine and were more curved like a crescent moon. Most shocking was that the flower didn't have a stem but the handle of a sword. Ruby gripped onto it, and she could feel the presence of her mother.

"From now on, petal," bellowed Summer, "you will never fight alone. Now let's kick some Grimm and monster butt and save our friends."

Ichigo was having the same experience with Zangetsu. However, he picked up the sword because it was a weapon. Ruby picked out the sword because it wasn't just herself, but also the love of Summer that manifested inside Ruby all this time. That bond already cried to Ruby like the roar of a Nevermore the name she needed.

In the real world, the Shattered Shafts suddenly bursted with gold reiatsu from Ichigo and silver reiatsu from Ruby. They zipped in the air like shooting stars all over the underground training ground. Ren was in disbelief at the pressure that pushed down on the nape of his neck. The two finally crashed down in a dust cloud.

As the dust cloud disappeared, Ren and Kisuke were a bit unnerved as two pairs of red glowing eyes stared back at them. However, when the dust fully cleared, it revealed Ichigo in a regular kimono of a Soul Reaper, but Ruby was in more of her style. She abandoned the skirt for similar clothing but kept her red hood. Unlike the mask on Ichigo, the mask on Ruby reminded Ren of a Grimm more than anything else, even from the Hollows they encountered.

"A mask too?!" exclaimed Jinta, "I don't get it. Are they a Hollow, or a Soul Reaper?"

They gave a soft howl like a chill wind. Ichigo reached for his sword, which was broken at the handle, but suddenly smacked the hilt and shattered the mask. Ren could sense that Ichigo was different, and had jumped to the same level of power he did. However, Ruby was still, and that got Jinta and Ururu on guard.

There was a low hum of energy. A brilliant silver light came from Ruby's eyes that blinded Ren, Jinta, Ururu, Tessai, and Ichigo, while Kisuke observed with a raised eyebrow. The mask blew off from a burst of silver light. When the dust cleared, Ruby was completely fine, and Ren could sense that she was far stronger in both her Aura and this spiritual pressure.

"What the heck was that?" exclaimed Ichigo.

"Whoops." said Ruby, chuckling, "Kinda got carried away there."

Ruby put on a more serious look and reached for her sword, which wasn't shattered. It was shorter than Ren's but had a wider blade akin to a butcher but still held the sleekness of a Zanpakuto, and the hilt was wrapped in black and red leather, and the guard resembled two crescent moons.

"Now then," announced Kisuke, "since you're all Soul Reapers, we can go on with Lesson 3."

Ruby held the blade in a manner that pointed backward away from her front. Her spiritual pressure rose, and red reiatsu burned off of her. Even Kisuke was a bit shocked at this display.

"No way." said Kisuke, "Does she..."

His question was answered when Ruby cried out a name in a language Ren never heard of. At the top of her lungs, Ruby called. **"Cast off the void, Mazarozu."**

* * *

 **I'll leave it off at here. Next up is Resolve.**


	3. Resolve

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 3: Resolve**

(Que "Number One")

Before their eyes, Ruby's blade transformed into Ren could only know as the new Crescent Rose. The blade was as humongous as it always was was but carried a hint of power in its sharpness and black and gray steel. The polearm of the reaper was more elegant in design and less compact, and was no longer bulky to the compartments for a sniper. There was a muzzle at the end of the polearm to shoot reishi as Kisuke pointed out, and at the other end was a spear point of black steel. Ruby held it as she always did: behind her back with her left hand over the polearm and the reaper on the ground on her left side.

Ichigo was amazed that Ruby pulled off Shikai even before he knew Zangetsu's name. Ren was even more amazed because he never expected this kind of transformation from a simple blade. He looked at his Zanpakuto and wondered what power it held as well.

Kisuke approached Ichigo and Ruby and clapped his hands. "Congratulations. It seems you went and became Soul Reapers. Ruby, I am deeply impressed that you were able to call on your Zanpakuto so early."

Ichigo would've smacked Kisuke in the head for putting him through so much hell, but he was focused on the power brimming from Ruby. It felt in between Renji and Byakuya's power, but he could tell there was something missing. In congrats, Ruby seemed to blush a little and laughed nervously like the child she is.

"That doesn't mean you can skip Lesson 3." said Kisuke, "In this Lesson 3, all you have to do is knock over my hat. You are up first, Ruby."

"Okay." said Ruby, suddenly getting all serious and brimming with red reiatsu, "But I have to warn you. I never felt this much energy. I feel like if I take just one step, I'm gonna overdo it."

"Huh?" wondered Kisuke, "What do you mean?"

Ruby's Semblance of speed blended well with her new Soul Reaper powers. When she took that step, Ruby unconsciously jumped into a shunpo, or flash step. It carried Ruby at Mach speeds that sent force ripping through the ground in her wake. She sped passed Kisuke before his eyes opened widened, and his hat was blown. It took a few seconds for Kisuke to regain his composure, pick up his hat, and put on his usual smile.

"My, my." said Kisuke, turning back, "You pass. You've got thorns there, Ruby."

He showed no reaction to the destruction behind him as though he knew it the second Ruby did that shunpo. Ruby tried slowing herself down by anchoring her reaper into the ground, but that only left a deep slash into the earth like a giant would've done. Ruby was only slowed down by running into a boulder that she was no stuck in. Her Aura was still there but flickering to heal whatever wounds she had in front.

"Ruby!" cried Ren, "Are you okay?"

Ruby's response was only a high-pitched moan.

"Yeah, that's a stupid question."

Ren with the help of Jinta and Ururu pulled Ruby out. Once released, she finally got a breath and wiggled her head to get any dust out of her hair. Crescent Rose, or rather Mazarozu, was still in her hands. They could feel the massive, yet calm, reiatsu coming off from it like a heat wave. Ruby didn't look like the impact even fazed her as her Aura already healed her injuries and replenished itself instantly.

"Good." said Kisuke, "That leaves Ichigo and Ren. You two will be fighting me at the same time if that will be okay be you."

Actually, Ren couldn't allow that. He could tell in Ruby's eyes despite the hell she went through and dying even, she was still the same childish Ruby of Team RWBY. No, Ren knew too well that this attitude is going to get Ruby killed again. Call it a hunch, but Ren knew that Kisuke was planning something for them and they'll be faced with people probably even stronger than they are. If he was going into such danger, he needed Ruby to know that they have to get through whatever the cost. Just like when Ren sacrificed himself for everyone.

"Kisuke," said Ren, "I would actually like it if Ruby would be the one to initiate Lesson 3 with me."

"Peculiar request." said Kisuke, tapping his hat with his cane, "I'll grant it. In this case, you gotta knock Ruby's weapon out of her hand."

"I'm fine dealing with you myself." agreed Ichigo.

"What!?" exclaimed Ruby.

"Come on." said Ren, sounding more commanding ironically, "Let's get to a spot where we won't interfere."

Ren led Ruby to spot in the training grounds far away from Kisuke and Ichigo were training. They saw Jinta and Ururu watching from clifftops with curious eyes. Ruby prepared a stance against Ren, but there was hesitance in her motion. That's what Ren wanted to get rid of.

"Ren why-"

It was only by Ruby's sense of speed that she managed to raise her guard in time against Ren's attack. His enhanced Aura also increased his strength, and the ground cracked at their feet and a shock cracked through the air. Even so, Ruby was the superior in every factor thanks to her Shikai, but Ren could still see that hesitance. It was starting to get on his nerves.

Ruby jumped back to get distance. "Ren, could you just calm down?"

"Ruby." said Ren, raising his voice, "I don't want this to be some practice. I can just feel it. It's so close: the name of my Zanpakuto. I have the resolve, but even against you I don't feel as if I'm in danger."

"Wha-Resolve?!" exclaimed Ruby, "Ren, have you gone crazy?!"

Ren rushed forward for his first shunpo. Not as great as Ruby's but it closed the gap between them in a literal flash. He swung his sword in fluid acrs and swings, but Ruby intercepted everyone with her swift defense. He curled his lip, frustrated that Ruby wasn't pushing him to his limit.

"No, I haven't." said Ren, "All I need is for you to come at me as though to kill me."

"Kill you?!" exclaimed Ruby in terror, deflecting Ren away with more force than she meant to, "No, I would never-"

"Because I won't hold back." snapped Ren, showing a face of battle fury.

Ruby was in disbelief, but he was telling the truth. She could feel it in the speed and force of his attacks on Mazarozu. The only reason Ruby held such an edge in the fight is because of her power after obtaining Shikai, and she was, admittedly, scared that one strike would kill Ren. Again.

"You have all that power," said Ren, his swings becoming more heavy, "but you lack something that I have: the resolve. When I died, I made a resolve to sacrifice myself. Because when I protect someone, I don't let them die. However, you have the skill that I do not, but you hold back. When we fought Tyrian, you fought him to protect us, but your resolve was off. You were _afraid_ you would fail. That's how Qrow got hurt."

Ruby was feeling a burning sensation in her. It was like anger, but it had a much more darker sensation to it. She bit her lip and her hands tightened around Mazarozu.

'I'm sorry Ruby, but this is necessary.' thought Ren.

"Grimm are soulless, that's why you can kill them." continued Ren, "Like it or not, you're going to fight people. You are afraid to fight them because you're afraid of killing them. Just like now. It is that awful resolve that we are here right now. I was supposed to die myself because I did protect people. I attacked to kill. You can see it in my Zanpakuto, and in the very force of my attacks. But you Ruby... when you defend, you're afraid of dying. When you attack, you fear killing. When you protect someone, you fear letting them be killed."

"Stop it..." mumbled Ruby, her jaw tightening.

'That's it.' thought Ren.

"All that your reaper shows is fear." stated Ren, "It is that fear that got you killed. That got Qrow hurt. That got Yang's arm cut off. And what got Pyrrha killed because you didn't have the resolve to kill to make it in time."

Ren had done it. Those words crossed a line never thought to be trespassed. Ruby's heartbeat drummed in her head, and her mind succumbed to a strange rage and instinct. This was the first time Ruby felt she was going to kill for real.

"Don't," roared Ruby, her reiatsu rising, "ever - say - that I - let Pyrrha die!"

With just the pressure of her reiatsu, Ren was pushed back. He barely had time to put up his sword to block Ruby's opener. Her blade cut through Ren's Zanpakuto like it was butter, and Ren was terrified, though relieved, that Ruby was definitely trying to kill him. He could see it not only in the ferocity of her attacks, and the look of fury in her silver eyes.

Elsewhere, Ichigo had finally called Zangetsu's name, turning his blade in a giant meat cleaver. But they were distracted when they sensed the enormous spiritual pressure coming from the Remnanties' direction. Kisuke measured at a level on par with a captain in Shikai. He gave a flat look, thinking that he would be one Soul Reaper less if the situation continued, but he wouldn't interfere.

Ren had never seen Ruby wield her reaper with such speed. The very air around her was dangerous to approach, and his weapon was almost reduced to his hilt. Then, Ruby anchored her reaper into the ground as she would to steady shots. Instead of bullets, the muzzle of Mazazoru charged a silver orb of reiatsu.

 **"Piasusan."**

Ren could only describe the blast as something from sci-fi: a laser of pure energy that tore all through its path. Kisuke glanced to the sky seeing the ray blast through the "sky".

'That almost looked like a Cero.' thought Kisuke.

And Ruby had a _lot_ more where that came from. As in as many as she would in a clip of dust. Ren was pushed to the limit of his agility dodging every blast that would surely kill him even with his iron Aura.

 **"Shirubasukai."**

Silver reiatsu charged on the blade of Ruby's reaper and launched a similar blast in the arc of the slice made horizontal. Ren had no way to dodge it, but he made his ground proudly. This is what he needed from both of them. Ruby's resolve, and getting himself pushed to the limit. With such danger putting his mind in the trust of his instincts, Ren knew a name and prepared his Zanpakuto.

 _Don't run in fear. Face the danger and do not give ground. Make the enemy regret their chase after your life._

 **"Haunt, Kakushifokkusu."**

In the blink of an eye, Ren's Zanpakuto grew and split into dual blades. They had a green hilt, and the blades elongated down like a bayonet to make way for a muzzle. Ren brought down the blades upon the reiatsu blast and split it apart. The dust settles to reveal Ruby tired from wasting so much energy, and Ren leaped at the chance. With a shunpo, Ren blinked the distance, knocked Mazazoru out of Ruby's hand with one blade, and held the remainder pointed to Ruby's throat. The rage left a hint, the "resolve", but Ruby was back to herself at least.

"I guess you pass Lesson 3." said Ruby.

Ren sheated his dual swords on his back where a dual-sheath was made for him. He could see the regret in her eyes for trying to kill one of her best friends. However, Ren was glad that Ruby could harness such a feeling against another human.

Ren rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder and gave her an assuring look. "Don't forget that resolve. You're going to need it in the future."

Ruby looked up at Ren with a troubled look. There was still a hint of doubt, but overall she did agree the necessity of that resolve. Her skills and reaper would be useless without it and she would die again. But the look in Ruby's silver eyes said otherwise.

"Alright." said Ruby, composed and calm, "Let's see how Ichigo and Kisuke are doing."

Jinta and Ururu had watched the entire show with amazement. They were wide in awe at the increase of spiritual pressure they both had.

"Woah, that was awesome." said Jinta.

"They are quite strong." added Ururu, "Are there others with that kind of strength I wonder?"

Ren and Ruby returned to find Ichigo in his Shikai. Instantly, Ruby went all fangirl over the giant cleaver on Ichigo's back with eyes sparkling like diamonds. She zipped around Ichigo with her speed and shunpo to look at Zangetsu at every angle.

"Hey," cried Ichigo, trying to get a hand on Ruby, "quit it."

"It's sooo cool!" Ruby squeaked.

It's not as cool as me.

It took a moment for Ruby to realize that the voice was her Zanpakuto, or rather her mother, Mazazoru. In fact, Ruby glanced behind her and saw the woman with her white robe flowing in the wind.

"Mom." said Ruby.

Summer smiled. "Looks like you're getting the hang of those eyes of yours. Try revealing me to your friends, then try to see Ichigo's Zangetsu."

Ruby tried just as Summer said in her inner world. _Do not search, but find on first glance_. Those words still confused Ruby, but they triggered some sort of instinct in Ruby. Her eyes and reaper blade flashed silver, and Summer was revealed to everyone. Ichigo was on the alert at Summer's sudden appearance, but Ren just stared in awe. He had seen pictures of Ruby's mother before and noticed the same pair of silver eyes that Ruby has.

"Where the heck did you come from?!" demanded Ichigo, drawing Zangetsu at Mazazoru.

"Wait, wait!" panicked Ruby, flailing her arms up and down, "She's my Zanpakuto, or my mom. I don't know. It's really weird."

"Oh, that's your Zanpakuto." said Kisuke, examining Summer as she floated above the ground, "I didn't expect you to be able to bring it into view in the real world."

"That's not all I can do." said Ruby, and her eyes flashed again.

This time another Zanpakuto spirit materialized. It was Zangetsu, and he wasn't that much different from Summer as they both retained themselves a human appearance. Zangetsu also levitated above the ground, and was wrapped in a brown cloak that was ragged at his legs which were hidden. He had stubs on his face like Qrow but wore strange orange eyeglasses.

Kisuke didn't say anything, only making another note of Ruby's powers. Ichigo was surprised to find Zangetsu visible in the real world. He had this expression where Zangetsu was always serious, contrasted to Summer (Mazazoru) who Ruby took a lot from in personality and looks.

"Hmm." said Zangetsu, his voice deep and an echo. "What a strange ability you have, Ruby, to reveal myself in the physical world. And I believe that is your Zanpakuto by your side."

Summer levitated around Zangetsu, examining him and the blade. She stopped in front of Zangetsu and held out a hand.

"You and Ichigo seem to be alright." said Summer, "Let's shake on it as good friends."

Zangetsu and Ichigo raised an eyebrow unexpected of this behavior from another Zanpakuto. Since Summer was directed to Zangetsu, he revealed an outstretched hand from his brown cloak and shook her hand.

"You seem," said Zangetsu, "different than I would expect from any Zanpakuto."

"Just making sure my little petal is in good hands." said Summer, smiling.

Mazazoru and Zangetsu disappeared from the real world back to their inner world. Ruby was still marveling the sword of Zangetsu, and was turning her fan girl eye to Ren's Shikai.

"Congratulations everyone." said Kisuke, "You three have awakened your power as Soul Reapers and unlocked your Shikai. That completes Lesson 3 and your fruition as a Soul Reaper."

Ren was reading the Kido book, but suddenly closed it with a deep clap that caught Kisuke's attention.

"Hold on, Mr. Urahara." said Ren with a stern look, "I get that becoming Soul Reapers saved me and Ruby, but there was something to all this. You didn't need to help us, but you did for a reason. What is it that you want from us?"

Kisuke smiled and tilted his hat. "Ren, you are scary observer. Yes, indeed I need you for something. In five days time, you three shall infiltrate the Soul Society to rescue Rukia Kuchiki from being executed."

"Rukia?" wondered Ruby.

"Rukia is a Soul Reaper from Soul Society." explained Ichigo with a frown, "Soul Society took her away for punishment in awakening my powers. She saved my family, so I'll return the favor and save her."

Instead of looking backed down, Ruby stood with Ichigo on this quest.

"This person saved your family." said Ruby, raising Mazazoru over her head, "That's plenty of reason."

Ren said nothing but nodded.

"I'm glad you're on the same page." said Kisuke, "So for the next five days, the three of you should hone your powers. Ichigo, Ruby, you two spar with each other. Go crazy. Ruby, I'll call a friend of mine who'll be perfect with teaching you so Ichigo can fight with me. Ren, you focus on learning Kido spells, but you won't be exempt from a few spars. I'm going to go take a nap."

Kisuke walked away, twirling his cane (Benihime) in the air. Ren sat in a secluded spot studying the Kido book, which did catch Ruby's attention. However, she was more excited crossing blades with Ichigo who raised Zangetsu in an opposing stance.

(Que Bleach "Battle Ignition")

"Listen here." said Ichigo, his reiatsu burning blue around him as well as his eyes, "I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're a girl."

Ruby smiled, and her reiatsu and eyes glowed silver. "I'm not gonna hold back either."

Their blades produced an aura akin to their reiatsu. A screech could be heard in the air, as though the Zanpakuto were calling each other to battle. Right before Ichigo and Ruby would clash, Ren tried his first Kido spell after a long study.

 **"Bakudou 81: Danku."**

Ren pointed his hand forward that glowed with reiatsu, and a glass-like barrier formed in front of him. This allowed to study the Kido further without being whipped in the face of Ruby and Ichigo's battle.

* * *

 **Took longer than I expected. I am in disbelief how this got so popular faster than my other two stories. Definitely will be more in the future, but I also want to focus on my other two stories: Fairy Tail EX and Fairy Fire.**

 **I could use your help. I am deciding what kind of weapon Ruby should have for Bankai? There is a poll for it.**

 **Next Chapter, The Flash Goddess.**


	4. The Flash Goddess

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 4: The Flash Goddess**

Ruby can't remember a fight like she had against Ichigo. Their "spar" lasted through the whole afternoon according to Ren (Ruby couldn't understand how he kept track of time). Ren was surprised to see that Ruby didn't use those techniques she used on Ren against Ichigo. She was able to fire concussive blasts of reishi that gave her the same recoil dashing as Crescent Rose would. Her speed was what gave Ruby an edge over Ichigo, and despite using a weapon comparable to Ichigo, her Aura was enhanced further from the Lesson 2 and her increased strength and speed was in even more than it was before she left Remnant. It was only by Ichigo's sheer durability and stubbornness that their fight was so close. In the end when both their spiritual powers were so low that Ruby's stomach finally growled for food she barely won with by winning 3 out of 5 rounds, even though they settled for seven.

"Dang." whined Ruby, her stomach's growling unceasing, "I've never been so hungry."

Ren closed his book finally after Ichigo and Ruby were done. "Let's call it a day."

"Fine." Ichigo agreed grudgingly, "This isn't over, pipsqueak."

"Same here, orange-head." retorted Ruby, sealing her Zanpakuto.

Ren kept his Zanpakuto in a released form like Ichigo sheathed on his back connected to a circular disk Kisuke gave him. Ichigo left to his home where he had a father and two sisters waiting for him. As for Ruby and Ren, they lacked physical bodies still and Kisuke was having a bit of trouble making such bodies for them with their Aura that he never worked with before. That didn't stop Kisuke from giving them a full course meal in his shop, prepared by Ururu and Jinta.

Ruby drooled at the bowls of rice and soup just laying before her. She didn't bother with greetings and went right to the food. Ren was more composed and thanked Kisuke and his companions for the meal, and ate in a mannered fashion.

"You sure do eat as much as you run." commented Kisuke.

Ruby's mouth was too stuffed with food to talk. Her use of spiritual energy was much greater that she craved for the food without pause, unlike Ren who spent the whole afternoon reading the Kido book.

"Thank you for the food." said Ren after swallowing a piece of meat from a soup.

"Sho Gwode." said Ruby, muffled by her stuffed mouth.

As they ate, Kisuke placed an orb before Ren. He had a smile on his face. His smiles were all the same, but after spending 37 hours with Kisuke, Ren knew what his smiles said. The smile Kisuke right now held a little of excitement.

"What is this?" asked Ren.

"Glad you asked." said Kisuke, "I developed this spirit core to hold spiritual energy of any kind. You see, I never seen or even felt this kind of reiatsu, or this Aura as you called it. If I'm going to find you're world, I need the energy signature that only comes from that world, and that in turn is in you. Think of it like a homing beacon of two similar radio signals to put it simply."

Ren understood. "I see. You intend to use our Aura to find our world since that's where our power originated."

"Bingo." said Kisuke, "You wouldn't mind pouring some of your power in this spirit core now, would you?"

Ren paused eating and set a hand on the orb. For a moment, nothing happened, then his hand hummed with energy and the orb was filled with a violet and green light. Kisuke picked it up, looking as if he got a Christmas present.

"I'm going to have fun with this mystery." Kisuke said, then he turned to Ruby, "Hey Ruby, remember that friend I mentioned? She's agreed to train, first thing in the morning."

Ruby gulped down a mouthful in order to cry out a "Yay!".

* * *

 _The next day._

Ruby awoke the latest and headed down to the training flatlands. She found Ren this time sparring with Ichigo to work on his stamina and Kisuke watching from afar.

"So that teacher that you mentioned." said Ruby, "Where is she?"

Kisuke pointed to the distance to the left. "You'll find her waiting over yonder. She's excited to meet you."

"Thanks." said Ruby, and she suddenly vanished. Ruby was getting the hang of her Soul Reaper powers and she reached a clearing in a few shunpos. She surveyed her surroundings, eager to meet her mentor. The redhead wished she was better had sensing energy like Ren.

"So you're the speedster that Kisuke told me so much about." said a feminine voice. Ruby flipped to the direction of the voice, but didn't see anyone except a kick of dust.

"Over here." said the voice again.

Ruby swiveled her view again, this time catching a blur of movement. Without even hearing the voice, Ruby turned her head to a boulder and found a woman with bronze skin, purple hair, and wearing an orange jacket.

"Good reflexes." the woman complimented, smiling. "This is gonna be fun. What's your name, pipsqueak?"

"Ruby Rose." answered Ruby.

"Call me Shihoin." replied Shihoin, "Come on, try to poke me."

"Try?" repeated Ruby, holding a laugh. She prepared her foot and dashed into a shunpo. When Ruby reappeared expecting to get Shihoin, she gasped finding her gone. Ruby realized in time that Shihoin was above her, and Ruby was only nudged before the definite impact by using her Semblance to get back to the ground.

"Impressive." said Shihoin, "You've got potential, Ruby. But don't think you can outrun me."

Ruby bit her lip. If there was one thing that ticked her off, it was someone outclassing her in speed. Speed was her Semblance, a literal part of her.

Ruby used a shunpo with more effort, but she found herself grabbing nothing. Shihoin had merely swayed to the side, smiling. Ruby retreated again with her Semblance, but Shihoin had predicted her move.

"Learn to adapt." said Shihoin, grabbing Ruby by the shoulder, "Think faster."

Shihoin slammed Ruby to the ground, and all she could see was that smirk. It was annoying her so much.

"'Think faster'." grumbled Ruby, "I'll make you think faster."

She summoned her full Semblance and her Aura burned red around her. Shihoin raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unknown power that Kisuke informed her about. A smile spread on Shihoin's face.

"Let's race." challenged Shihoin.

They zipped in and out of sight across the training grounds. Wherever they landed, they would instantly shunpo out leaving a kick of dust in the air. Ruby raced after Shihoin, but at last second she dodged out of Ruby's reach and was at her blind spot. At one point, Ruby lunged her full body forward to get Shihoin but left herself completely open for her as she again dodged Ruby.

Ruby lost all sense of logic and her body acted almost on instinct. In that lash of action, Ruby's Aura focused at her feet and she suddenly felt that she was back on ground, allowing her to back-flip out of the way. She almost lost that balance when Ruby found herself walking on air. Shihoin was doing the same.

"Wha-How?!" Ruby exclaimed, swiveling her head side-to-side, "How am I walking in the air?!"

"You continue to surprise me, Ruby." complimented Shihoin, just causally walking _on_ air, "Intense action has make learn hoho in the allotted time than the years it would take a Soul Reaper. Then again, it was simple for me too. That still just means you are a walking piece of talent in a red hood."

"And a giant scythe." added Ruby aggressively, reaching for her Zanpakuto.

 _"No Ruby! She's not using a weapon, so it's fair that you don't use one."_

Ruby mumbled to herself in anger and rested her hands. She vanished in shunpo, but Shihoin avoided her yet again. A vein bulged on Ruby's forehead in the frustration of that constant smirk. Then, seeing as her anger wasn't accomplishing anything Ruby calmed herself down and her Aura and reiatsu simmered with it. With a clear head, Ruby remembered the important words to the clairvoyance of her eyes. _Do not look and search. Find upon first blink._

Shihoin spoke. "You look like you finally gave up on your tantrum."

Ruby smiled. "Don't act so sure of yourself. Sorry, but I'm going to end this in just three steps."

Shihoin's smile flattened into a more serious expression. "Is that so?"

Ruby kept her eyes open, not even a single blink. Shihoin raised an eyebrow seeing a glow in Ruby's eyes, and it sent a rush of adrenaline. Ruby prepared her first step and charged herself with her Aura to start off with her Semblance. Instead of red petals dancing in her wake, they were silver. Her step rocketed Ruby like a hyper sonic projectile as she cracked at a speed so fast Shihoin's eyes were wide unprepared from seeing such speed without shunpo.

'That was fast.' thought Shihoin, 'Too fast.'

Ruby vanished into shunpo, this time far faster than Shihoin expected. Only by her reflexes did Shihoin escape with a shunpo herself. Suddenly, the second Shihoin used hoho, Ruby was already behind her. Shihoin smiled and disappeared and reappeared behind Ruby.

"You wasted your third-"

"Got you!"

Shihoin didn't even notice it. Ruby had her eyes on her the whole time, and she grabbed Shihoin by her jacket and threw her to the ground. Before Shihoin could get her senses back, Ruby was already on top of her with a fist inches from Shihoin's face.

Shihoin raised her hands up in surrender and smiled. "You've got me, red. I can accept you as my pupil."

"Huh." said Ruby, lowering her guard, "This was all a test."

"Kisuke said that I should be the one to train you." explained Shihoin, "Even so, I was still skeptical. I had to test you to see if you're worthy of my teachings. You've passed better than anyone before."

A wide smile spread Ruby's face and she jumped in the air. "Yes. I'm awesome."

"Don't get cocky." said Shihoin. She sprang to her feet in such quick succession and Ruby found herself on the ground instead.

"You have skill." said Shihoin, "All I need to do is hone it. Rejoice, Ruby, I'll train you like no one ever has under the Flash Goddess."

"Flash Goddess?" wondered Ruby.

Shihoin smiled. "Like I said, that's what I was called when I was a Soul Reaper. In fact, I was captain of of Squad 2 (hope that's the right one) of the Gotei 13. They called me the Flash Goddess for no one could match my speed, not even my predecessors."

"Coool." squeaked Ruby, thinking what awesome stuff Shihoin did back in the day.

"It's a title," concluded Shihoin with a heavy look, "I believe I can passed down to you. I hate to say it, but you **_may_** be faster than I am."

Flash Goddess?! The name was enticing, but it didn't have the ring Ruby was expecting for. An idea came to her head.

"I wouldn't be so sure of being called 'Flash Goddess'." said Ruby, "What about Red Flash?"

"Okay then," replied Shihoin, "Red Flash."

They headed back to see how Ichigo, Ren, and Kisuke were doing. They didn't expect to be doing nothing. Ren was back hiding his face away with his Kido book, and Kisuke and Ichigo seemed to amused by something. Ruby felt a cold sweat go down her back.

"What are you three slacking off for?" asked Shihoin, with a smile.

Kisuke couldn't talk holding in a snicker, but Ichigo approached Ruby his lip shaking trying to contain laughter.

"Ruby, I-" Ichigo said before bursting out laughing for a full fifteen seconds, "Is it true you "accidentally" robbed a bank?"

Ruby's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. She was disgusted that Ren of all people let out that secret which should not leave the lips.

"Robbed a bank?" said Shihoin, "And here I was thinking it couldn't get anymore fun."

"It all happened so fast, okay!" snapped Ruby, "Yang, tell them-"

In her panic, Ruby completely forgot she was in a different world without any of her friends and family except Ren. The concept of their death finally hit Ruby, and in her head she was thinking what her team was doing right now ever since they died? Were they going to Atlas? Did they plan to take revenge? Whatever was happening, Ruby knew they were broken. She had to return to Remnant with her new strength so they themselves can get back the strength they lost with Ruby, and to help them defend against the forces of Salem that were moving on the countries for the relics.

"I think I'll take the day off." said Ruby, walking to the later.

* * *

Over the next few days, Shihoin would arrive on the training grounds late in the day to teach Ruby like the essentials of shunpo and techniques to better insulate faster movement. Ruby didn't have the talent at all to master Kido, but Shihoin was okay with that. After two days, all Shihoin could do was race with Ruby across the training grounds to further her mysterious power and that ridiculous speed. Shihoin couldn't have asked for a better student in years after her banishment from Soul Society. It was almost like she was back in Soul Society training her protege Soi Fon.

On the fifth and supposed final day, Ruby, Ren, and Ichigo spent the entire day in spars that sent storms of reiatsu through the training grounds. They decided on a royale, and Ruby and Ichigo smiled back at each other seemingly ignoring Ren among them.

"And begin." signaled Kisuke.

Ichigo and Ruby charged at each other first. Steel clashed against steel like high-pitched thunder, and their gigantic weapons locked in place between them.

"You're not gonna win this, pipsqueak." said Ichigo.

"Bring it, strawberry." replied Ruby with a snicker.

She struck a nerve that was visible as it bulged on Ichigo's head. Ruby wasn't ready for the overwhelming strength Ichigo put in Zangetsu, and he broke the lock between them and brought down a direct slice. The blow would've been fatal if Ruby didn't have an Aura that stopped the blade in place like steel armor. However, just because it didn't make contact didn't mean it didn't make impact as shown as Ruby winced from the blow. She back-stepped to gain distance and prepared a shunpo, which Ichigo hadn't mastered.

 **"Bakudou 9: Geki."**

A red light paralyzed Ruby on the spot, and Ren jumped into the fray opening with a dashed strike of Kakushifokkusu. Ichigo easily parried it away with the immense size of Zangetsu, but could barely keep a steady defense against Ren's flurry of swings.

"Goddammit Ren!" cried Ruby, wiggling around like she was trapped in a sleeping bag.

 **"Bakudou 4: Hainawa."**

A tendril of reiatsu shot out of Ren's palm and snaked for the arms, but Ichigo sliced it aside with Zangetsu. With another swing, Ichigo made whirlwind so strong he blew Ren away off his feet. While in midair, Ren's hand charged in reiatsu.

 **"Hadou 31: Shakkaho."**

A ball of red reiatsu fires out of Ren's hand and lands upon Ichigo breaking his guard and sending him into a boulder. Ren landed on his feet and used a shunpo to close the distance opening with a thrust of one of his dual blades. Ichigo nudged it aside with Zangetsu, but Ren nicked him at the thigh with a lunge from his other blade. Ichigo ignored the pain and raised Zangetsu to swing it on top of Ren with full-force, but Ren black-flipped on the spot and kicked Ichigo on the chin.

"You're gonna pay for that." hissed Ichigo, rubbing his chin.

"AAAHH!" screamed Ruby as she resisted the paralysis of Geki. Her reiatsu burned silver around her, and the light broke away as her reiatsu released, sending a pressure on the ground. She grabbed Mazazoru and held it in her usual stance Ren knew too well. They stood in a triangle, glancing between their opponents to try and read their moves. A tension grew between them, and all became silent.

The tension was cut like a hot knife through butter, and the three shinigami charged each other down, ignoring every sense of logic. Their weapons raised in a swing, already too late to feint as they drew closer to the center.

 **"Scream, Benihime."**

A red light followed by an explosion blew Ruby, Ichigo, and Ren into the air. They landed in embarrassing fashions head-first into the ground. Ichigo and Ruby found themselves buried in the rock, and then pulled out by Ren and Kisuke. The orange-head looked like he was going to pummel Kisuke down deeper than they landed.

"What the heck?!" barked Ichigo, "I was about to win that fight."

"As much as I would like to see which one of you would come out on top," replied Kisuke, "I unfortunately don't want my training grounds turned into a giant crater. Besides, Ren would've come out the victor in that clash. He already had a few Kido spells that would've repelled your attacks."

Ichigo and Ruby sighed grumbly, and they sheathed their weapons. Ren showed no reaction with that cool composure he rebuilt and he went back to reading his Kido book. Ruby started to realize Ren and Blake have a lot in common when it comes to books.

"All of you get the rest and time you need." said Kisuke, "After the last light for today, there isn't turning back."

Kisuke walked off as usual, his wooden sandals clicking on the ground. Ruby wanted to seclude herself and just talk with Summer since she wasn't hungry at all since she didn't use that much spiritual energy. To her surprise, Ichigo spoke up to both of them.

"I heard that Kisuke got some bodies finally for you." said Ichigo, "How would you two like to go see fireworks with me and my friends instead of being holed up in this shop?"

Ren closed his book and Ruby's eyes dazzled like gold stars on her silver pupils.

"Yes!" squeaked Ruby.

"Alright." said Ren.

* * *

Ren and Ruby's new bodies were exact to their own and even had their old outfits. Ichigo led them through Karkura Town to the river where they first landed in this world. There was a group of people already standing at the shore and looking to the sky. One of them, a grown man with flat black hair and broad shoulders waved at Ichigo and ran up to him.

"My boy!" called the man, "You just made in time. What took you so long?"

"Hey Dad." said Ichigo flatly, "I brought two friends of mine. Shortstack is Ruby, and quiet boy is Ren. Guys, this is my idiot of a dad."

"How you do?" greeted Ruby.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kurosaki." greeted Ren generously with a bow.

Isshin leaned closer to Ruby. "Oh, Ichigo, I'm so proud of you. You finally got a-"

Whatever Isshin was about to say, Ichigo landed a smashing fist on his head into the pavement. The man was practically made of iron because he got back up bleeding with a concussion but smiling like nothing happened.

"Good attack, son." said Isshin.

Ruby managed to not burst out laughing and instead snickered, and Ren made an amused smile. The sky boomed and illuminated as the fireworks were finally set off. Ruby rarely saw fireworks because of the fear it would attract Grimm. Her face glowed as bright as the explosions in the sky. So many colors caught her attention in patterns of orange, green, and even white. One firework, a big one, rocketed high in the sky and made a pattern of red, white, gold, and so bright it patterned the darkness of the night. Ruby knew it all too well as the colors of Team RWBY.

Her smile faltered. She started to worry yet again what they were doing. And more importantly what they were feeling. Did they still feel sorrow? Did that sorrow turn in vengeance? Were they - going after Salem?!

"Hey," said Ichigo, breaking Ruby out of her trance, "you alright, pipsqueak?"

Ruby was silent in thought before speaking. "Ichigo, whatever comes our way in this ordeal, just remember Ren and I have your back."

"I appreciate it." said Ichigo, smiling, "And if I can, I'll do whatever it takes to get you two back home."

Ruby was a bit surprised by this bold statement from Ichigo and could only reply. "Thank you."

* * *

 **After that, it is time to invade Soul Society. Next up is Chapter 5: Invade Soul Society**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	5. Invade Soul Society

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 5: Invade Soul Society**

Ruby and Ren waited at 1 o' clock in the morning. They were surprised to find one of Ichigo's friends, a man of big build but a humble mood by the name of Chad. Ruby was no good with sensory type of stuff as a Soul Reaper, but Ren could tell he had considerable spiritual power. He was going with them.

Ichigo arrived and was surprised to find Chad with Ren and Ruby.

"Chad." said Ichigo, "What are you doing here?"

"Rukia saved my life." said Chad, "I want to help her out if I can. I'm going too."

"Huh." responded Ichigo.

"What? Are you deaf or something?"

This one was new. He was tall for someone Ren's age and even had that same sharp look in his eyes. He wore in clothes all in white with stripes of blue and wore a glove on his right arm.

"What?" said Ichigo, "What are you doing here, Uryuu?"

"I don't take defeat well." said Uryuu. "Especially at the hands of a Soul Reaper. So I'm going too."

He looked at Ruby and Ren, who wore similar clothing to a Soul Reaper and had Zanpakutos. Uryuu said nothing, but Ruby could tell there was a hint of disgust in his eyes upon them.

"Looks like were all here and accounted for."

Last was a girl with even brighter orange hair than Ichigo. She wore a simple red dress and white pants, and there was a pair of jewelry in her hair. Ruby knew her as Orihime from the fireworks.

"Hold on a second." exclaimed Ichigo, "What the heck is going on here?"

"Yeah, I'm at a loss too." said Ruby.

"You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you Ichigo?"

The male voice came from down on the ground, where there was nothing except a cat that approached Ichigo. Ruby and Ren didn't think much of it until the cat spoke _again_.

"Kid. don't tell me you didn't notice the increase in their spiritual energies." said the cat, "You need to be more observant than that if you plan to go into the Soul Society. While you were training to regain your Soul Reaper powers, the three of them have been training in their own way. You ought to be thanking them."

Ichigo, Ruby, and Ren were speechless until their minds finally processed what was happening. "Did that freaking cat just talk?!"

"His name is Yoruichi and he's-"

"EEEEEEHH!" squeaked Ruby as she jumped into her Semblance and grabbed Yoruichi into her arms. She petted the felines head and nuzzled his cheeks to her face. "Oh my gosh, a talking cat! You're so cute. So, so cute and fluffy. I should bring you to Zwei and you two would become best friends. Oh, I just want to pet you for eternity."

"Ruby, please stop." pleaded Yoruichi, but he began to like the soft caressing on down the back. Ruby was just that good with animals.

"Okay, okay." announced Kisuke, clapping his hands to get their attention. "Let's bring the party inside. There are things we cannot speak outside.

Kisuke brought them to the underground training grounds. Orihime was in awe of the expanse that lay before them.

"Wow!" exclaimed Orihime, "This is so incredible. Who knew there was something this humongous just below the shop. Isn't it amazing?"

"I know right." agreed Ruby.

"Your attention please." said Kisuke, "All eyes over here. Voila."

With a snap of his fingers, Kisuke summoned a hollow square from the ground. He explained, "This is the gate that leads into the Soul Society. It's called the Senkaimon, or Tunnel World Gate. First, before explaining..."

Without warning, Kisuke tapped Ichigo on the head and released his spiritual body from his real body.

"How about a little warning next time?" grumbled Ichigo.

"Listen here." said Kisuke, "The Soul Society is known as a spirit world. Unless you're in spirit form, it is impossible to enter the gate. Right now, only three of you can cross right now. Ichigo, Ruby, and Ren as Soul Reapers. The gate here will convert the rest of you into spirits as well."

"Alright let's go-" said Ichigo before being poked by Kisuke's staff.

"There's a catch." said Kisuke, "The window for you to pass through is only four minutes long."

Everyone gasped in shock. Kisuke continued, "If you don't make it out, you'll be trapped in the Dangai, the world between all realms."

"How will we make it?" asked Orihime.

"Go forward." said Yoruichi bluntly, "Remember what I taught you about the connection of the heart, mind, and soul. You must have no doubt, have no fear."

"You definitely have no fear, Ren." Ruby told Ren.

"We all know this, or we wouldn't be here." said Ichigo, taking a step forward in front of everyone else, "Quit with all your preaching and let's do this thing now!"

"Yeah!" cheered Ruby.

"And if you understand if you lose," said Yoruichi, "you can never return back to this life again."

"Then all I need to do is win." said Ichigo.

Ruby smiled. That sounded like a cheer Team RWBY would do. She was in the exact same of mind.

Tessai and Kisuke opened the gate and hollow square illuminated in blue light.

"Run as fast as you can." Kisuke advised.

"Got it, Mr. Urahara." said Ruby with a smile, just before the gate pulled them into the Dangai.

* * *

As soon as they entered the Dangai, all that ran through their thoughts was to run. Ichigo, Ruby, Ren, and Yoruichi were ahead of the group. As far as Ruby could tell, the walls around them were trying to swallow them up. Yoruichi was saying something, but Ruby was far too busy running to hear.

Ruby was bit worried when Uryu was lagging behind, but she found comfort when Chad decided to carry him on his shoulder. Even the added weight didn't slow the big man down. Then, a bright yellow light caught Ruby's eye.

"Yoruichi, what is that?" exclaimed Uryu.

"It's the cleaner." said Yoruichi, "It comes through the Dangai every seven days to clear out the passage way. It's our bad luck that today is that day."

"Better really start running then." replied Ruby, getting faster.

Despite even her speed, the cleaner was gaining on them. Ruby saw Orihime and Ren look back and reiatsu brimmed from their hands.

 **"Zan Ten Keshu: I Reject!"**

 **"Bakudou 81: Danku."**

They casted a clear and orange force fields which stopped the cleaner in place. There was just enough time to escape before a blinding light took over them. Ruby felt her feet leave ground and she knew all too well.

"Ren," called Ruby, "landing strategy."

The group entered a new world and crashed into ground. None of them made any decent landing, especially Ichigo who's head was buried in dirt. None of them had any serious injuries unless you count hurt pride.

"I know it was going to be tough getting through the gate." said Uryu, as he pulled out a second cape.

"Guys, isn't this great?" said Orihime, "We all made it, and everything's okay."

"It's not okay." snapped Yoruichi as the cat headbutted Orihime in the eye. "I told you not to expose your spiritual powers in there. We're fortunate the cleaner only made contact with the shield area. And you Ren, I outta-"

The group just realized that Ruby and Ren were nowhere in sight. There was no two other points of impact.

"Ren, Ruby." called Ichigo, "Where are you?"

"Up here." called Ruby.

They looked up and to their surprise found Ruby and Ren on the rooftops without a scratch on them. Ruby waved down on them with a big smile.

"How did you get up there?" demanded Ichigo.

"It's called a landing strategy." answered Ruby, "Everyone at Beacon does it."

"It really is quite simple." added Ren.

"Listen." interrupted Uryu, "Doesn't is seem awfully quiet around here?"

"Yeah." agreed Ichigo as Ren and Ruby jumped back to the ground. "Is this place really the Soul Society?"

"Yes." confirmed Yoruichi, "And the specific area we are in is called the Rukon District. It's here in the Rukon District that souls come to love when they are first arrive in Soul Society. It's right on the perimeter of the Sereitei where Soul Reapers live. The Rukon District has the greatest population in all of Soul Society."

If that's true then where is everyone?" wondered Uryu.

"Hey," said Ichigo, looking to the distance where the buildings were more pristine with yellow roofs, "look at those buildings over there. Why do they look so different from everything else."

"That's not of our-"

"I know that must the Serei-whatever the heck you call it." said Ichigo, running off to the cat's shock, "Let's go."

"Right behind you." said Ruby as she ran alongside Ichigo.

"Wait!" cried Yoruichi, "Stop you idiots."

"Ruby, I don't think-" said Ren.

"Let's go, you Soul Reapers!" cried Ruby and Ichigo. Suddenly, they stopped dead when a whole line of towering walls landed before them. They stretched all the way to the left and right as far as the eye could see, and were so tall it was impossible to climb. Dust clouds kicked up into the air.

"Well, well." said a deep voice upon Ruby and Ichigo, "It's been a long time since anyone tried to pass through the spirit gates without a travel permit. And I don't get many guests these days."

Ichigo gasped at the sight of humanoid that was half as tall as the wall.

Ruby exclaimed as her face paled. "He's huge."

"Welcome, little man and tiny girl." said the giant, "I am known as Jidanbo, guardian of this gate."

Jidanbo revealed a hatchet larger than Ruby and Ichigo's own bodies. His eyes were solely on Ichigo.

"Sooo cool." said Ruby, fangirling over the giant hatchet.

"Whenever you're ready," challenged Jidanbo, "give it your all. And good luck."

Ruby and Ichigo's friends were in awe at the guardian's immense size.

"What kind of creature is he?" asked Uryu.

"We don't have those in Remnant." noted Ren.

"He is simply known as Jidanbo." explained Yoruichi, "He was chosen among the very best warriors to guard the Hakuto Gate. Countless foes have been defeated by Jidanbo for three centuries."

"If that's so," said Ren, pulling out his dual blades Kakushifokkusu, "we'll have to attack in a coordinated fashion, even if Ruby and Ichigo can hold their own."

"Agreed." said Yoruichi, "The first thing we need to do is - AAAH!"

To his dismay, Chad and Uryu ran ahead to help Ichigo and Ruby against the giant. They completely ignored the cat yelling at them to get back. However, Jidanbo saw them coming and swung his axe into the ground to create a wall of ground between them and his two opponents.

"What are you, country bumpkins or something?!" bellowed Jidanbo, "We're civilized folk here. Battles are strictly fought one-on-one."

"Then why am I here?" noted Ruby.

Jidanbo finally realized that he hadn't noticed Ruby standing beside Ichigo the entire time. He escaped a gasp and started chuckling a little behind his lips.

"He-he-he." laughed Jidanbo, "Sorry, little girl. You'll just have to wait your turn after I finish with orange spikey head."

A vein bulged on Ruby's forehead and she snapped, "Little!? I'm sixteen, and I got here first."

"Just do as he says." said Ichigo, then it hit him, "Wait, you're sixteen?! Wow, you look a lot younger than I thought."

"Aww, he's complimenting you." said Summer.

'Really, Mom?!'

"Just let me handle this on my own." said Ichigo, "It'll be okay."

"Are you insane, Ichigo?!" argued Uryu, "There's no way you'll defeat that guy on your own."

"Listen," said Ichigo, "remember when I was training with Mister Hat and Clogs? He said it was gonna take me ten days to regain my Soul Reaper powers. In fact, it took me only five. So what do you think I did for those remaining five days?"

"Knowing you probably goofing off." retorted Uryu. Ruby smiled on the other side, knowing he was at fault.

"I fought with Ruby the whole time." said Ichigo, "I'll admit she's a complete monster. She has strength and speed that beyond human. We fought every day to see who was better, nonstop for five days and five nights."

"I see." said Uryu, "And you regained fighting instincts."

"Wrong again." said Ichigo, drawing Zangetsu, "In those long hours, I gained tremendous strength and stamina I never thought possible."

Ruby stepped back to give Ichigo and Jidanbo space. She smiled, fully confident that Ichigo was going to win this.

"You could have attacked me the entire time." said Ichigo.

"Hmph." responded Jidanbo, raising his axe, "You really are a country bumpkin. When someone is being nice, you should always say - thank you!"

Jidanbo brought down the giant axe upon Ichigo, sending out a wave of force and dust. Despite the overwhelming power, the dust settled to reveal Ichigo completely unfazed with Zangetsu raised in a lazy defense. Instead of surrendering, Jidanbo let out a laugh that threatened to sweep everyone off their feet. He brought down another swing with the clap of thunder, but it had no effect. He brought down more strikes after another without stop and counted. Ruby had to hold in a snicker when she saw Jidanbo struggling to count up to ten. Ten!

 _"You have to admire his spirit."_ commented Summer.

His last swing was from the side, and it was his most powerful as it knocked away all the rubble. Ruby had to cover her eyes from the flying dust.

"Got him," said Jidanbo, "I think."

It was no surprise to Ruby when the dust settled to find Ichigo fine. He merely moved Zangetsu to the side to stop the axe.

"If you're done," said Ichigo, pushing back the axe, "it's my turn."

"I'm not done." cried Jidanbo, "I just have to bring out some more weaponry."

He reached into his cloak (I don't know what the heck the name is for the clothes shinigami wear), but his face dripped with cold sweats. A crash got Ichigo and Jidanbo's got their attention, and their jaws hanged when they found Ruby had stolen the second axe. She was looking around it like a fan girl had met her idol.

"Sooo cool." squeaked Ruby, "It has a blunt function. That could be useful for smashing the ground like earlier. Then the blades would come out, but how..."

Ren sighed. "Just leave it to Ruby to do something like that."

Jidanbo snapped and raised his axe. "It makes no difference. I'll smash you flat."

Before his axe made impact, Ichigo swung Zangetsu. The blade not only destroyed the axe head, but it sent a whirlwind that almost knocked everyone off their feet. Jidanbo was silent as he held a broken handle. Ichigo settled Zangetsu onto his shoulder and looked up at the giant.

"Well," said Ichigo, "are you going to say something, or just stand there?"

"My axe." whimpered Jidanbo, tears swelling in his eyes, "My axe is ruined. Why did you have to do it? Why did you have to break my babies?!"

"Yeah, Ichigo," said Ruby, sympathizing with Jidanbo, "why did you have to destroy his axe?"

"This guy acts so tough, but..." said Uryu.

"He's just really soft on the inside." noted Ren, "Reminds me when my friends Nora accidentally broke her hammer. She wouldn't stop crying until I made her a new one. Since then, I always woke up to a bunch of pancakes in the morning for a whole month. I want to say it was pleasant."

"Look, I'm sorry about your axes." apologized Ichigo.

"You should be." snapped Ruby.

"...But I couldn't just let you keep swinging them. Although, I could've just knocked it out of your hand."

Ruby grabbed the remaining axe and held it to the crying giant. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry that my friend is a jerk. Here's your other axe. It's very cool, and I know you put your heart and soul into it."

Jidanbo looked at Ruby with tear filled eyes. He not only took the axe back, but also rested his giant hands gently around Ruby.

"Even though you're my enemy," sobbed Jidanbo, "you're so nice. Instead of thinking of your quest, you're actually concerned for your opponent. What a sweet person you are, my tiny little friend."

"It wouldn't be a quest worth taking if I can't help people." Ruby responded with a smile, "It makes sense to console someone even if they are a giant."

Jidanbo got to his feet. "I'm nothing but an embarrassment of a man. I'm a total loser. You little girl have done a victory greater than besting me in combat that spikey head did. No, little one, you've defeated as a man. And you're a girl."

"Don't beat yourself up." consoled Ruby.

 _"Good job, petal."_ said Summer.

"I have been the gatekeeper for three centuries." said Jidanbo, "Never have I lost a challenge, but you are the first to defeat me. Therefore, I, Jidanbo, grant you passage through the Hakudo Gate."

"Thank you, Jidanbo." said Ruby.

The others rallied with Ruby and Ichigo, and all made space for Jidanbo. He dug his arms under the gate and everything started shaking with a deep creaking. Ruby could see the strain on his face as he lifted the gate that was twice as big as he was. Ruby's smile grew wider as Jidanbo successfully lifted the gate, but Ichigo could tell something was off in his stance.

"Jidanbo, what's wrong?" asked Ichigo.

Ruby and Ren followed Ichigo and looked up to see Jidanbo stricken with terror. They looked in his direction to find a pale man in a white flowing vest over his black robes. His hair was a dull silver and his eyes appeared to be closed to Ruby.

"Who is that?" asked Ren, his senses on the fritz of danger.

"That is the Captain of Squad Three." said Jidanbo, "Gin Ichimaru."

Ruby senses or rather her eyes sensed an incoming danger. She sprang to her feet to Jidanbo's left arm.

 **"Cast off the void, Mazazoru."**

Once Mazazoru was unsealed, Ruby used a shot to gain more speed. She swung her reaper at something that zipped like a blade and successfully deflected it away. Something crashed into the ground, then instantly disappeared.

"What the heck was that?!" exclaimed Ichigo.

Gin tilted his head on sight of Ren and Ruby. He was perplexed by the strange reiatsu they emitted, no less as to who they were of course.

'This throws an anomaly into our plans.' thought Gin.

Ruby couldn't quite tell how, but she knew Gin's sinister gaze was on Ren and her.

"Who," asked Gin, "might you be?"

Ruby and Ren said nothing. Gin turned to Jidanbo.

"What are you doing opening the gate?" asked Gin.

"I lost in battle," said Jidanbo, "so I had no choice but to open the gate for them."

"What you're saying makes no sense." responded Gin, "A gatekeeper who loses doesn't open the gate. When a gatekeeper loses, it mean death."

Ichigo charged down at Gin, and they clashed blades for a moment. Ruby joined in the mix, and the captain and her became a blur of motion as their blades clashed at similar speeds. Suddenly, Gin locked down her reaper to the ground.

"You're," said Gin, "quite fast."

"Why you..." growled Ruby, "How could you do that to someone who's on your own team?"

"Someone who stoops to such low tactics," said Ichigo, "deserves to be killed."

"You sure are some fearless kids." said Gin, releasing his sword from the ground. Ruby dodged out of the way in a dash of her Semblance, leaving petals in her wake.

"Ruby, Ichigo." cried the cat, "You must stop and retreat."

'Ichigo.' thought Gin, 'So it's him. But who is this girl and that other young one over there? They both appear to be Soul Reapers, but there's something off about them. Like they don't belong here.'

"So you're Ichigo Kurosaki." said Gin, walking back, "All the more reason why I can't let you pass."

Gin suddenly took a stance and Ruby could feel a pressure unlike anything she felt before. Her clairvoyance tingled again of danger, and it was directed at Ichigo. Her feet moved at full throttle to get in front.

"Look out, Ichigo." cried Ruby.

 **"Impale, Shinzo."**

Gin's blade extended with the speed of a jet. Instead of Ichigo who raised Zangetsu, it hit Ruby square in her chest. Her Aura held, but she lost footing as the blade pushed her, Ichigo, then even Jidanbo back passed the gate. They flew over tens of meters before crash landing into the street.

After Gin retracted his blade, he waved goodbye. The gates closed before them and there was no way to get through with captains now at the gates.

* * *

 **Finally in Soul Society. Next Chapter is The Shiba Clan.**


	6. The Shiba Clan

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 6: The Shiba Clan**

Ichigo and Ruby came to and found themselves on top of a groaning Jidanbo. Ichigo was fine, but he was more concerned for Ruby's well being. She was still breathing and kicking beside him. The others ran to them, and Ren jumped onto Jidanbo to check on Ruby.

"You okay, Ruby?" asked Ichigo.

"I'm fin-" said Ruby before a spiking pain on her chest choked down her words. Her hand was over the where Gin's blade made contact, and gasped when she found her own blood. At last second, Ruby's Aura gave out, leaving a nasty flesh wound. It wasn't deep, but the pain was enough to keep Ruby down.

"Ruby!" cried Ren, picking her up. He hopped off Jidanbo followed by Ichigo.

"Ruby, you're hurt." cried Ichigo.

Ichigo helped Ruby to her feet while Ren supported her by carrying her weight from her left side. As much as she tried, her injury caused her too much pain to stand. Orihime ran over to her to heal Ruby's injuries with her powers, but Ruby shoved her away.

"You don't need to waste your power on me." groaned Ruby, "Once my Aura gets back, I'll be healed."

"Until that time comes," said Yoruichi, "that wound still needs to be treated. We need a-"

"Hey look." noted Orihime.

They looked to where they pointed. The street that was once empty was now filled with people of all ages. They spoke in a storm of chatter that Ruby couldn't pick up.

"They must've been hiding until now." said Uryu.

"But why?" wondered Orihime.

"We frightened them." said Yoruichi, "Souls that come to the Soul Society illegally are called Rioka, and are said to be the root cause of all the troubles of Soul Society."

"They must think we're their enemies." said Ichigo.

Ren reached for one of his dual blades while holding Ruby's weight and the rest put up their guard. From the crowd approached an old man.

"Please stop." said the old man, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the elder of the Rukon District. All of us witnessed the events that transpired that occurred just now, and we would all like to welcome you as Jidanbo's true saviors."

"True saviors?" asked Ren, "What is your connection to the gatekeeper?"

The elder explained. "The Soul Society is full of Soul Reapers who are rotten and corrupt. Jidanbo, a native of the Rukon District, is not one of them. He's always been so kind to us."

Jidanbo finally came to and sat up. His eyes were wide in surprise at the crowd of people.

"Guys," said Jidanbo, "what are you doing here? Gin could be - oh right. The gate."

Jidanbo looked at Ruby and Ichigo. "Thank you, my friends for fighting against Gin and saving me from his blade."

"You're wel - gagh." cried Ruby in pain as her injury spiked with pain.

The elder spoke. "You're injured. As thanks for protecting Jidanbo, follow me to my home where all of you may rest."

* * *

The Rioka stayed at the elder's home that afforded enough space for all of them. Ruby rested in another room with her wound treated as she waited for her Aura to regenerate. Ren had no need to stay by her and so sat with the rest of the group in the living room where he drank tea the elder offered. Ichigo and Yoruichi were discussing a change of plans.

"What?!" exclaimed Ichigo, "You want to quit getting passed the gate."

"Not completely." clarified Yoruichi, "Once the gate has been opened, it's only logical there is tighter security on the other side. The same for the other gates, which means continuing with the same strategy isn't the best option."

"I have to agree with that." sided Uryu. Ren only nodded in agreement as he sipped his tea.

"Then what the hell are we gonna do?" asked Ichigo with a hint of attitude.

"Naturally," said the cat, "we must enter another way. Elder, do you know the whereabouts of Kukaku Shiba?"

The elder was wide-eyed with shock. "What? You can't be serious."

"As you may know," said the cat, "she is someone who likes to change her place of residence. I don't know where she currently lives."

The elder tightened his knuckles. "You don't mean to go through the wall that way."

Ren glanced in the direction of a rumbling coming closer. As it got closer, his tea started to shake and Ichigo noticed it too.

"What is that noise?" exclaimed Ichigo.

The rumbling stopped but then a buffed man smashed through the door and tumbled into the room. He was followed by a boar with a red bow on its head.

"What the-," exclaimed Ichigo, "What the heck is a boar doing here?"

"What do you know." said the man, picking himself up and wiping dust off his clothes, "There's gotta be a better way to get around with Bonnie. It's been a long time, old man."

"Ganju," said the elder, "what are you doing here? You should go home."

"What gives?!" said Ganju, "Is that any way to treat an old friend? What are your guests here going to think?"

Ganju turned to see Ichigo and his attitude totally changed once he took off the sunglasses. "What do we have here? Would someone explain to me why there's a stinking Soul Reaper here?"

Ren could sense a rotten tension between them. After a few exchanges of words, they started exchanging fists. Their fight woke up Ruby from the other room in a bad mood. Ichigo and Ganju paused for a moment when they felt an ominous mood descend the room and Ruby made her appearance.

"What the heck is going on here?!" exclaimed Ruby, "Can't a girl sleep in peace?"

Ren had never seen this side of Ruby before. It definitely proved that Yang and her were sisters as he saw the same fury in her silver eyes. Her jaw was clenched, and her eyes were twitched like she was cranky. In an instant, Ruby kicked Ganju and Ichigo out of the house.

"If you're gonna fight, then stay out." yelled Ruby, "Unbelievable."

"Uh, Ruby." said Orihime, pointing to Ruby.

Ruby looked down and her face went red as her surname. Her top was missing since Orihime treated her and she covered up the wound with bandages but that left plenty of bare skin. She instantly wrapped her arms around her chest, but did little to cover her entire torso.

Ren turned himself around to face a wall and drink his tea. To further distract himself, he studied the Kido book that Kisuke gave him. He knew that he ever looked at another girl like Ruby was, Nora would know and beat him senseless. It didn't matter if they were worlds away.

Ganju and Ichigo continued their fight for a while until he suddenly left at 9 o' clock. He and his gang rode off into the distance, and Ganju swore to finish the score with Ichigo, who swore to kill him.

The following morning, Ren, Uryu, Chad, and Orihime were outside. They were wondering who Kukaku Shiba was that they needed to meet. Uryu thought the he was a warrior of great strenght, Chad thought of him as a monk of great wisdom, and Orihime's guess was... unique. However, none of their explanations were as precise as Ren's.

"You do realize that this Kukaku is a woman?" said Ren.

The three gave Ren blank stares of bewilderment.

"How do you know that?" asked Uryu.

"I pay attention." Ren stated, "Yoruichi referred to Kukaku as she, not he."

Even Uryu was amazed at this sense of attention. He was usually the one to catch up on things like this with his composed attitude. Their attention was caught by a scuffle in the house. They moved the doors open to find Ruby pulling on Ichigo.

"Come on, strawberry." said Ruby, "We have to go."

"No way." argued Ichigo, "I'm staying here and waiting for that Ganju to show up so I can beat the crap out of him."

Yoruichi moved so fast and swiped Ichigo's face with his sharp claws. He jumped out of his grip on the floor and cried in pain (I know how that feels).

"What's wrong with you?" cried the cat, "Have you forgotten why we came here in the first place? Don't you remember that Rukia's fate is in your hands?"

Ichigo was silent, and Ruby could tell his submission to Yoruichi's words. Before they knew it, Ren, Ruby, Ichigo, and company were on their way led by Yoruichi to Kukaku's current location. They all wondered why someone like Kukaku would live so far from town. Yoruichi gave them a surprising fact that no matter where she lives, her houses are usually the same.

"Ah." said Yoruichi, halting the group, "It looks like we've arrived."

Ruby, Ren, Ichigo, and Uryu were wide with shock. Before them was a normal house but in the back was an over-sized chimney. The most shocking detail were two giant stone arms that held a banner above the roof.

"What kind of person of person would want to live in a house like that?!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"I know a few people who would." noted Ruby, thinking how much Yang would appreciate Kukaku's taste of housing. Ren just wasn't that much surprised; being with Nora allowed him to see everything.

"Building houses like this one it's no wonder Kukaku doesn't live in town anymore." said Uryu.

"I bet he's not even supposed to live in town anymore." added Ichigo.

Yoruichi moved on followed by Ruby, Ren, Orihime, and Chad, but Uryu and Ichigo stayed behind. Ruby heard them grumbling about not telling anyone about this. She held in a snicker toward their obvious embarrassment.

"Halt, strangers."

It was two men of the exact looks and voice, probably twins. These men jumped down before the entrance and towered above them like giants, but not as tall as Jidanbo.

"I, Koganehiko-" said Koganehiko.

"-and I, Shiroganehiko-" said Shiroganehiko.

"-can not allow you passage into this building." they both said.

'I guess this what life would've been if I had a twin sister.' thought Ruby, 'I want one.'

Ichigo prepared himself for a fight. The twins mood changed when they saw Yoruichi waving up at them.

"Master Yoruichi." they exclaimed.

They practically pushed them into the entrance, which was just a flight of stairs to a living home underground. Koganehiko, or Shiroganehiko, led the way and seemed apologetic to the cat.

"Forgive us, Master Yoruichi." he said, "We had no idea these travelers were your servants."

"It's my fault." replied the cat, "I should've sent word that we were on our way here."

They entered a brightly lit hall with wooden doors and floors. One of the twins stood by a sliding door with a nervous look.

"Uh, Master," announced the twin, "we have visitors."

He got a signal from the inside of the room, and he slid the doors open for the Rioka. Sitting alone was a woman in a red outfit, turquoise eyes, and a smoking pipe in her mouth. Ruby noticed that her right arm was a wooden prosthetic like Yang's arm.

"It's been a long time." greeted Kukaku Shiba.

"Kukaku's," exclaimed Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu, "a woman?!"

"I told you so." noted Ren.

"Hmm." said Kukaku, her gaze on the group behind the cat, "Who are these-"

"How does this arm work?"

Kukaku almost jumped to find Ruby at the her side fangirling over the wooden prosthetic. Like always, Ruby was trying to find some hidden mechanism in the prosthetic, like a blade or muzzle extension.

"What the-How?" barked Kukaku, trying to shake Ruby away, "What are you doing, you brat?"

Realizing her disrespect, Ruby stepped back a little and poked her fingers. "Sorry. It's just that my sister also has a robotic arm and it has a bunch of features on it."

"Ruby, get back here." shouted Yoruichi.

"Sorry, sir." whimpered Ruby, rushing back to the others with her Semblance.

Ichigo leaned to Ren and whispered. "Is Ruby always like this?"

"Yes." said Ren flatly, "You should've seen her at Beacon Academy. I don't know how she got through the halls when she's so distracted."

"Right then." said the cat, calmer, "Kukaku, I have a favor to ask you."

"That is usually the case when you find me, Yoruichi." said Kukaku, "Is it dangerous?"

"Most certainly." blurted Ruby.

Kukaku smiled. "Well, well, my friend. Luck for you, I enjoy danger."

Ruby was surprised by this character from Kukaku. She reminded her of Yang so much. Besides the prosthetic arm, Kukaku and Yang also shared that same thrill for danger as she expressed. Ruby was relieved knowing she was going to help them, but slightly nervous in what maniacal plan that Kukaku was cooking up that was so dangerous. Yoruichi briefly explained the situation and their entire mission in general. After hearing everything, Kukaku smoked from her pipe, leaving a silence in the room.

Kukaku smiled. "Ah, what the hell? I'll help you." She stood up and looked at the kids. "I trust you Yoruichi, but I don't trust these kids. Especially roses over there. So I'll bring along an overseer just so you can keep an eye on them for me. I call him that, but he's just my kid brother. Kind of a doofus and not all that useful, but he'll do."

Kukaku walked to the wall on her left side and knocked on it. "Are you ready in there?"

"Yes sis," said an awfully familiar voice, "I'm ready."

Kukaku slid the wall aside, and Ruby and Ren were wide-eyed with surprise. Ichigo didn't see it, but the two recognized the bowing man as Ganju from yesterday in more formal wearing.

"It is an honor to meet you." greeted Ganju with manners, "My name is Ganju Shiba."

Ganju lifted his head and there was a long pause in the room. His eyes didn't blink as he recognized every face, and they were locked on to an all-too familiar teenage Soul Reaper with orange-hair. Those two stared at each other in awkward silence and then suddenly stood up.

"You!" they exclaimed.

Kukaku was stunned. "You two already know each other?"

The whole room watched as Ichigo and Ganju had a rematch brawl, trading blows that made Ruby wince. Ichigo threw Ganju through one of the walls, but he got up and got Ichigo with a kick to the face.

"Take a hike, fat boy." shouted Ichigo as he punched him through the door they came through.

"Why you orange-headed moron!" exclaimed Ganju, charging back.

Ruby and Ren could notice the situation escalating to dangerous levels. Ren was tempted to use Kido to bind them, but he could tell that Kukaku was going to take care of it soon. As the woman watched causally smoking her pipe, her attitude suddenly changed to one of terror as the brawl made her drop her pipe. Ruby noticed and the color left her face when the pipe was smashed and she saw the veins bulging on Kukaku's forehead in rage. The sythe-user knew that look all too well from Yang.

"RUN FOR IT." cried Ruby, using her Semblance to get the hell out of there.

Uryu, Orihime, Chad, and Yoruichi followed Ruby up the stairs. Ren had prepared a full incantation of Kido ever since the brawl started just in case.

 **"Bakudou 81: Danku."**

Ren was protected from the fire blast that was sent from Kukaku punch into the ground. A pillar of burning reiatsu ascended through the roof of the house. Soon, the reiatsu went away and the others returned back into the house. They found the whole interior burned to black charred wood, with only the area Ren shielded himself intact.

Ruby and the others peeked from the door and saw Kukaku pick up a burned Ichigo by his head, who was shaking in fear.

"Listen, you idiot." barked Kukaku at Ichigo, "You're in my house now. If you don't like what I do here, then just get the hell out. Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." whimpered Ichigo.

Kukaku let go of Ichigo, who collapsed to his knees onto the floor.

"Your sister is a real piece of work." said Ichigo.

"Tell me about it." replied Ganju.

"You should meet _my_ sister." added Ruby.

Kukaku brought everyone to a large, dark chamber where in the middle was the giant 'chimney' they saw earlier. Ruby felt her fangirl senses tingling at the sight of the thing, telling this was no chimney.

"Forget about getting through the wall." said Kukaku, "With this launcher, I'll get you all over through the air."

"The air!?" exclaimed Uryu, Ichigo, and even Ren.

Ruby's eyes dazzled. "Are you saying this thing... is a giant cannon!?"

"Sure as hell." confirmed Kukaku, "Or my name isn't Kukaku Shiba, fireworks expert of the Rukon District."

The twins above opened the ceiling to reveal the light of day, and the floor they stood on shook as it was raised to the surface. In less than a minute, the Rioka found themselves on ground-level again.

"Did that scare you kids?" said Kukaku, "This is my one and only enhanced fireworks launch pad."

"The flower crate cannon." announced Ganju, but was then kicked in the head by his sister.

"My line." she growled.

Ren was speechless. It slightly terrified him that there was a person out there that had the same level of insanity as Nora. Uryu was skeptical of the whole thing as he stepped forward to voice himself.

"I know that you're a pyrotechnical wizard," said Uryu, "but I'm still not convinced of it. The idea of shooting-"

Uryu was cut short as Kukaku threw a crystal-like ball into his face. It bounced off and landed in Ichigo's hands. On closer inspection, there was a red symbol of a crane.

"What is this?" asked Ichigo.

"That's a spirit core." said Kukaku, "All you have to do is pour your spiritual energy into it."

Ruby was getting some Jaune deja vu as Ichigo strained to somehow put energy into it. Ichigo gave up and looked at Kukaku with a flat look.

"Can someone tell me how to focus my spiritual energy?" Ichigo asked.

By how Kukaku reacted, it sounded like it was supposed to be an easy job. It was came to a shock to Kukaku once Yoruichi said that none of the kids had any experience using spiritual energy.

'This is gonna take a while.' thought Ruby.

* * *

 **Finally I've been off for a couple of days. Just catching up with life.**

 **Next Chapter... I don't know what to call it yet.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	7. God Level of Shock

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 7: God Level of Shock**

The Rioka spent the whole day practicing to concentrate spiritual cores. The only ones who had zero clue how to do that were Ruby and Ichigo. Ruby looked like she was more likely to pop a vein than get it at all while Ichigo was at a point where he considered just smashing the spirit core. The twins' constant "no!"s didn't help.

"Here." said Ren to Ruby, "Let me show..."

After a little explanation, Ruby got the hang of it. Her spirit core in short time started to glow with her energy. To her, it was hardly different from manipulating Aura. A smile of childish amazement stretched her face, but Ichigo in his spot twitched his eye a bit. There was no way he was letting pipsqueak get ahead of him.

"Alright." said one of the twins to Ren and Ruby, "Show us yours."

Ren and Ruby concentrated their energy into the spirit cores. Once the cores glowed, a sphere of energy surrounded them like a giant bubble. They weren't just in perfect shape like Orihime's, but they also had their own colors to them. Ruby had red while Ren's was green.

"Do you see that?" said Shiroganehiko, amazed, "They have different colors."

"Like Uryu over there," noted Konaganehiko, "it must stem from their personalities, but it could also be their unique reiatsu."

As for Ichigo, his was... there's no way to describe it but pathetic. The twins instantly scorned him rather give him encouragements to keep trying. Ruby saw his eyebrows twitch and already knew what was coming. With just one throw with the spirit core, Ichigo sent one of the twins flying. He was terrible and agressive Ruby knew that after spending five days with him, but she could see a drive that was full of selflessness akin to her. She could see that all that anger was stemming from being powerless like this.

Everybody left for dinner, but Ichigo and Ganju remained. However, Ruby purposely trailed behind the group and went back to the training room. There she found Ichigo still practicing, but to no avail. Ruby made her presence known as she approached and Ganju kept himself quiet as the scene unfolded.

"How much is she to you?" Ruby asked Ichigo out of the blue.

"Not much." said Ichigo flatly. Ruby raised an eyebrow unsure in his tone.

"C'mon." persisted Ruby, "There has to be something about her."

"You already know." said Ichigo, raising his voice, "I owe her, and I haven't repaid her yet. She gave me her power to save her so I could save my family, even though she just met me. Because of that, Rukia was captured and is going to be executed for it. I don't want to turn into some deplorable guy who would just turn his back on her."

Ruby couldn't quite put it. There was something about Ichigo that just made one follow him to the bitter end. On some level, Ruby understood herself.

"I get that." said Ruby, walking closer, "You feel like if you were or weren't there, that person would still be okay. That's what I thought when I lost two of my best friends. Penny and Pyrrha. I kept on thinking maybe if I got there faster I could've saved them. But, things like that can't be changed."

"I," said Ichigo, sounding a little sympathetic, "didn't realize you had it that rough."

"However," continued Ruby, "what I can do is save the friends and family that I have. I use my memory of them to motivate myself to push forward and cherish those I still have. And maybe make more in the future. Like Mr. Urahara said, 'When you protect someone, you don't let them die.'"

Ichigo smiled a bit, amused that she used a quote from that clown. Ruby approached and put a hand on his shoulder. Ichigo twitched a bit, but didn't shove her away.

"Try bringing up your reiatsu." said Ruby, bringing up her own as silver light surrounded her, "I'm going to try something that could help. What was it that Pyrrha said..."

Ruby tried to remember the words that she used when tapping into Jaune's Aura. It took some digging but she got the words, and tapped her reiatsu into Ichigo's. Ruby chanted, "... For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Ruby was a bit speechless at the ocean of power she felt. Not only in Ichigo's, but in her own as well, like two seas of blue and silver. Ruby stepped away from Ichigo, and could see his eyes closed in deep concentration. As his reiatsu burned around his body, the spirit core in his hands glowed brightly. A bubble of energy grew around him in definite form, putting a smile on Ruby's face. However, the bubble was getting humongous that it engulfed the entire room. The whole house started to rumble, and Ruby was having trouble keeping balance.

"You stupid idiot!" cried Kukaku, "Concentrate your spiritual energy."

Ruby was pretty sure that her words were drowned out by the roar of the shaking of the house. The only idea she had was to concentrate her own power into the core and concentrate it all herself. At first, Ruby only served to make it more worse with her own energy. As Ruby concentrated on controlling the sea of power, the bubble started to shrink down and stabilize.

Kukaku gasped. "I don't believe it. Her reiatsu is calming down Ichigo's."

The bubble was still unstable as Ichigo was recklessly pouring more power. Ruby bit her lip and had to get his attention.

"Ichigo," shouted Ruby, "For Monty's sake, concentrate your energy."

Ichigo realized what he was doing and focused on controlling his power. The bubble shrank more and stabilized around Ichigo. Ruby released her hand from the spirit core, and stepped out. Despite the whole mess, Ruby couldn't help but smile at Ichigo.

"You did it." Ruby congratulated.

"I did it." said Ichigo.

That moment of distraction was enough to break his concentration on his spiritual energy. The bubble cracked like an egg then exploded. The dust settled to find Ichigo covered in burns and bruises on the ground. Before he could get up, Kukaku pinned him down with her foot.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" shouted Kukaku, "FREAKING DEAF OR FREAKING STUPID?!"

"I vote stupid." said Uryu.

"I second that." added Ren.

Ruby put on an innocent smile and slid away. "Well, I'll just..."

Before Ruby even had a chance to use her Semblance, Kukaku's prosthetic arm stopped by holding onto her cloak. She looked back, and a cold sweat went down her neck as cold, dreadful eyes stared back at Ruby.

"Where are you going, missy?" said Kukaku menacingly.

* * *

(Time-Skip)

Yoruichi's tail got messed up when Ichigo passed out from using so much spiritual energy. Ruby was able to do what she did best. She grabbed the nearest brush to manage his fur and gently massaged his tail back straight. When Yoruichi saw her tail back to normal, he almost cried making Ruby almost cry.

"Thank you." praised Yoruichi, bowing to Ruby, "Oh, thank you for saving my pride and joy."

Ruby sniffed and hugged the cat. "Oh, anything for a cute, little snuggle of fur."

Soon, Uryu arrived with Ichigo and Ganju. Ganju was in his battle costume, wearing braces on his arms and legs that had rough edges for igniting bombs. He and Ichigo had some talk that put some stone hearts to melt.

"Alright then," called Yoruichi, "are we all ready for the cannonball?"

"Yes." said the seven Ryoka.

"If you're all ready," cried Kukaku, "the final countdown begins now."

Kukaku opened an entrance into the cannon. All the Ryoka and Ganju gathered into the slightly cramped space. They all held a spirit core in the center of them, while Yoruichi stood on top of it.

"Our goal is to save Rukia." briefed Yoruichi, "We must avoid taking unnecessary risks if possible."

"Okay." said Ruby. Ren nodded.

"Now it has begun." signaled the cat.

All of them focused their energies into the core, creating the cannonball. It shimmered with green and red from Ruby's reiatsu. Without warning, they were blasted into the air. Ruby had to hold in a gasp as the ground instantly shrank away faster than she had ever seen. It would be a shorter journey if she lost consciousness.

"Huh," said Ren, "I expected more-"

Suddenly, they felt turbulence as the cannonball raced in a horizontal direction.

"Yep, there it is." groaned Ren.

Ganju pulled out a book and all the pages unfolded before his eyes. He began to chant something, but Ruby couldn't afford to listen as she managed her energy. She only listened to Ganju as he explained to everyone that they should all keep their spiritual output at the same constant level.

"Ichigo, I think you're releasing too much energy."

"All right then, I'll back off."

"Ruby, you're too high."

"Simmering down."

"Ichigo, you need to lower your spiritual power."

"What? I already brought it down to half."

"Ruby, Ichigo, dial it down. I can't keep up with you two."

"Alright! Alright!"

"Ruby, Ichigo!"

"I know! I know!"

"Dammit." cried Ganju, "You made me repeat the same line twice."

"Stop whining." barked Ichigo, "It's not my fault you can't memorize your stupid chant."

"That stupid chant might save your life," said Ganju, glaring at Ruby, "if you _two_ quit yapping."

"How is this my fault!?" growled Ruby.

"Crap." said Uryu.

"They're upsetting the balance of the spirit energy." exclaimed Ren. The surface of the bubble started to become unstable as Ruby, Ichigo, and Ganju were upsetting their concentration.

"Hey look." said Chad.

Everyone turned their attention forward to the city of the Sereitei. Ruby had never seen a city so huge. It must've been ten times the size of Vale alone.

"The only way for all of us to survive this is to pour in all the spirit energy you've got." cried the cat.

The Ryoka didn't hesitate. Ruby, Ren, and Ichigo let go of any concentration and just focused on pouring in their sea of powers. They impacted the shield, making electricity flash out and ripples pushing outward through the membrane. Finally, the spirit bubble pierced through the membrane, but they the bubble bursted and they were suddenly flying as though they used hoho.

"What's going on?" exclaimed Ichigo, "We're not falling to the ground."

"Don't get separated." said Yoruichi, "The reishi from the spirit bubble, but we've got to hang on until it dissolves."

Just on those words, Ruby instantly grabbed a hold on Ichigo, followed by Ren.

"Uh," said Ruby, a little nervous, "What will happen after it's gone?"

"It will turn into whirlpool," said the cat, "then explode and vanish."

"That doesn't sound good at all." whimpered Ruby.

Suddenly, they all found themselves in that whirlpool of reishi. Ruby and Ren kept a good hold on Ichigo and each other. Then Ganju joined in by holding Ichigo by his collar.

"Oh great." exclaimed Ichigo.

"What do you mean by that, dandelion?" barked Ganju.

"It's actually strawberry." said Ruby with a snicker.

"Hey!" barked Ichigo.

"Do not let go of each other." cried Ren.

They lost track of the others, but they couldn't afford to find them in the whirlpool. As the cat, they had to ensure their own survival. Before Ichigo and Orhihime could grab each other, a bright light blinded them, and Ruby, Ren, Ichigo, and Ganju found themselves crashing down to the ground.

* * *

"Damn." said Zaraki. "They split into four."

Zaraki Kenpachi, Captain of Squad Eleven, was excited to fight the Ryoka. He looked at the four "meteors" crashing down in different directions. He was about to head out when Yachiru looked back and had a smile on her face.

"Hi, little sister." said Yachiru, looking at a woman seemingly far older in her teens. She had a sharp glare as deadly as her "father's" sword, but still held that air around her as Zaraki did. The woman was looking at one of the meteors only.

"That one." said the woman, "I sense the more from that one. I'll go destroy them myself. I can't let you have all the fun, Father."

Zaraki looked at his adoptive daughter with an unsure look, then a smile crossed his face. "Sure. Whatever makes your blood boil, my deadly daughter."

"Let's hope," said the woman, smiling like a demon, "they will be able to cut me."

* * *

Ichigo, Ruby, Ren, and Ganju crashed into a street surrounded by walls with tiled roofs. Ganju extended out his hand and moved into a circle.

 **"Seppa."**

Right before they crashed, the ground turned into sand to soften their landing. Despite the bruises and aches in their necks and backs, they were fine and kicking. The four crawled out of the sand and coughed out the grains.

"I'm never going to the beach again." whimpered Ruby.

"That was not enjoyable." groaned Ren.

"How'd did sand get in there?" groaned Ganju, who was kicked by Ichigo.

"Your skill did this, so stop complaining." barked Ichigo.

"This skill just saved your life." growled Ganju, holding Ichigo by his robes.

"Woohoo, lucky."

Ruby, Ren, Ichigo, and Ganju looked up. Standing on the wall were clearly two Soul Reapers. One had long hair going down all sides except the front that stopped just before the shoulders, with two strands of yellow and red hair. The other's looks made Ruby to hold in a snicker. He was completely hairless, not even eyebrows were on his face and he used red face painting as a substitute.

The two Soul Reapers jumped to their level with smirks on their faces.

"First we skip out on our guard duty." said the bald one, "And these four fall right into our hands." The bald one pointed his sheathed Zanpakuto at them. "You two aren't very lucky."

The bald one started to sing a song of being lucky, and it was making it harder for Ruby to control herself. He somehow danced and jumped on his toes. His final stance was wide with his sword in his hands. The sun shined off his bald head, and Ichigo, Ganju, and Ren felt an awkward sweat go down their necks.

"Oh come on!" roared the baldy, "This whole time while I was singing my song, I've been waiting for one of you to come out and fight instead of looking at me like a bunch of-"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha." laughed Ruby uncontrollably, clutching her stomach, "No, I can't. I can't. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. That dance- ha-ha - and your bald head. It's too funny. Ha-ha-ha-ha."

A vein bulged on the baldy's face. "Why you... Don't start calling me 'Baldy'. My name is Ikkaku Madarame, Fourth Seat of Squad Eleven."

Ruby was laughing even harder when she heard "Baldy". "Baldy. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA. I don't care what your name is. I'm gonna call you Baldy."

"You little twerp." cursed Ikkaku, a brow twitching.

In the wake of this, Ganju made a run for it. Ikkaku's friend went after him, but they were closely followed by Ren.

"Don't worry." said Ren, "I'll keep him safe."

Ruby nodded after getting out of her laughing fit. Ichigo faced Ikkaku as he climbed out of the pit with Ruby at his side.

"Why didn't you run after your friends?" said Ikkaku, "They knew that my power is stronger than theirs."

"If your power is stronger than mine," said Ichigo, drawing Zangetsu, "then it would be useless to run. However, if my power is stronger than yours, then all I have to do is beat you."

"We're a team." said Ruby, drawing her Zanpakuto in its sealed form, "And we look out for each other."

Ikkaku's smile disappeared. "Guess you're not stupid after all."

The three prepared for battle. At first, Ikkaku had the widest smile on his face. His eyes looked passed them, and his smile was crushed into a frown with a hint of dread. Ruby heard the footsteps accompanied with the clink of metal. Before she turned around to face her opponent, her voice sent a shock through Ruby. It was a voice she never though she would hear.

"What the-"

"Save it, Baldy." said a feminine voice Ruby knew exactly to memory, "There's plenty of prey for both of us."

Ruby dreaded what she would find as she turned her head back. She saw a woman Soul Reaper Yang's age with the normal cloak. However it was sleeveless and it reached just below the knees. On her arms were iron braces and custom-made sandals of leather and steel. Her eyes widened when Ruby took a full look at the shinigami's face. Red hair made into a ponytail held by a gold brace, teardrop chin with not-too round cheeks, and subtle pink cheeks. Ruby could never forget that face, not ever since she saw her disappear into dust. But that smile on her face was something alien to Ruby. It was a smile that called for blood.

"No, you can't be." said Ruby, looking at - Pyrrha Nikos alive again.

Pyrrha ignored Ruby and glared at Ikkaku. "You take the orange-head. I'll take care of this brat."

"Why you..." grumbled Ikkaku, "Stop stealing my fun."

"Interfere and I will cut you down as well." exclaimed Pyrrha, death in her eyes.

"Great." said Ichigo, "I'll take the baldy. You handle the redhead. You got it? Ruby?"

Ruby was petrified on the spot. Ichigo could see her legs wiggle like jelly. It wasn't out of fear, but joy.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" asked Ichigo worried, but no response.

"Hah." laughed Ikkaku, taking a swing which Ichigo dodged, "Your partner is scared out of her mind. That is the strongest out of all of us below our Captain of Squad Eleven. Third Seat-"

"Pyrrha," said Ruby softly, losing grip on her Zanpakuto, "is that really you?"

Pyrrha raised a surprised brow. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"You can't be serious." said Ruby, "It's me, Ruby. Don't you remember me?"

"I've never heard or seen you." said Pyrrha.

Ruby gasped. "What?! How could you not remember? What about our friends? Jaune, Nora, and Ren? Your Team JNPR?"

"Your talking nonsense." shouted Pyrrha, drawing out a Zanpakuto with a red hilt and golden guard. She raised it to Ruby's neck, and she deflected it away from pure instinct. Ruby could feel her intent to kill, and it shattered her world.

"Wait a minute." said Ikkaku, "Perhaps this one knows you truly. At least from your life before."

"What are you on about?" asked Ichigo.

"Souls that come to the Soul Society lose all their memories of their previous life." said Ikkaku, "And only retain their name."

"What?" whimpered Ruby, "No, but..."

Pyrrha smiled. "Ruby, was it? You knew me from a passed life. This should be interesting."

'She still plans to fight me?!' thought Ruby.

"Pyrrha," cried Ruby, "This isn't right. Your a warrior, not a killer. You're Pyrrha Nikos of Team JN-"

Before Ruby knew it, Pyrrha smacked Ruby into the wall. Stone crumbled around her in a pile.

"Ruby!" cried Ichigo running to her aid, but Ikkaku blocked his way.

Ruby crawled herself out of the rubble and coughed out dust. Pyrrha smiled, impressed that she was still alive. Ruby had a resolved look in her eyes, and held her Zanpakuto in opposition to Pyrrha.

"Good." said Pyrrha, raising her Zanpakuto as well, "Maybe you'll actually entertain me. And let's make one thing clear. I'm not this Nikos of this Team JNPR. I am the Third Seat of Squad 11, the strongest squad of Soul Society, and I am the daughter of the strongest captain, and so my name is Pyrrha Zaraki."

A dark reiatsu brimmed off of Pyrrha. Ruby recognized the color whenever she used her Semblance, but it felt completely different. It had a vile nature that put the fear of Grimm to shame. It told nothing but a terror Ruby would never feel from anyone, even from that illusion of Salem.

* * *

 **Pyrrha is back, but with a twist. Her character is inspired from when I read the manga that had revealed Kenpachi's Bankai. Up next Chapter 8: Roses and Steel.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	8. Roses and Steel

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 8: Roses and Steel**

Ren caught up with Ganju and Yumichika by following the path of Seppa Ganju used to flee. Yumichika was about to deal a fatal blow as Ganju lay there blood until Ren used a shunpo and blocked the Zanpakuto with only one drawn blade of Kakushifokkusu. The opposing Soul Reaper kept on the attack, but Ren expertly blocked each strike successfully one-handed. Realizing the difference of power of this new opponent and Ganju, Yumichika jumped back to evaluate Ren. Looking at his face he smiled.

"That's a beautiful face you have, I must say." said Yumichika, "Not many people get that kind of praise from me. Your eyes shine like the cold composure of the Kuchiki Clan themselves. You even look like Captain Kuchiki."

"What took you so long?" grumbled Ganju.

Ren answered. "I like to conserve stamina." The thing was training five days with Ichigo and Ruby had given him enormous stamina. It was just a habit to conserve as much since he would tire out so quickly.

"Who are you?" asked Yumichika.

"My name," said Ren, taking a narrow stance, "is Lie Ren. I am from neither the Soul Society or the Living World, but from an entirely new world called Remnant. I am known as a Huntsman."

"Huntsman?" said Yumichika, "You say that, but that is unmistakably a Zanpakuto in your hand. I am known as Yumichika Ayasegawa, Fifth Seat of Squad 11. Since you've released your Zanpakuto, I shall do the same."

Ren stayed calm and composed. He considered this a test to see what kind and how far his strength gape is between another Soul Reaper, even though he was confident that he could beat Yumichika when going serious. The Huntsman drew out his second dual blade, but would only use to parry attacks, for now.

Yumichika put his hand over his Zanpakuto and chanted. **"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku."**

The blade turned into a long sickle. It wasn't curved enough to curve behind Ren's guard, but he shouldn't underestimate it. They stared each other down in silence, waiting for one to make the first move. Ren moved first, rushing down Yumichika without shunpo, and opened with a wide side slash. Yumichika blocked it, sending sparks off from the clash of steel, and countered with an overhead. Ren blocked it with a cross guard with his dual blades. Yumichika was staggered back from the backlash, and it showed Ren's strength and defense were above his.

Ren pushed on, swiping with a singular blade and keeping the other one on the defense. Yumichika was quick on his own defense, but Ren was starting to see through the pattern of it all. When Yumichika slashed from the bottom right, Ren took a pace back in his stance and then lunged through his reach with his blade forward. Yumichika barely acted in time and used shunpo to get back. Blood dripped from a cut where Ren's blade got him, and it enraged the Soul Reaper.

"How dare you!?" growled Yumichika, "How dare you cut my beautiful face?!"

"You should pay less attention on your looks," said Ren, using shunpo to get behind Yumichika, "and focus on the fight at hand."

Yumichika was familiar with the strategy and already had his blade ready to block Ren's strike. They clashed for a while as Yumichika attacked with more aggressively than a moment ago. Ren had to admit he felt himself getting pushed with each strike that became faster and closer. After each strike, Ren could feel a shock through his arm just trying to hold on to his blade. Suddenly, Yumichika swung a heavy slash and Ren positioned his blade to parry it away. At last second, Yumichika feinted into an upward slash, and when Ren tried moved his blade to block most of the damage the sickle suddenly unfolded into four copies.

"Your done for." roared Yumichika.

Three of the four sickles passed by Ren's blade and would've cut deep through his guts if he didn't have his Aura. The shield of his soul shimmered on his body as it held back the blades and sparks flew off. Yumichika was in total shock.

"What!?" Yumichika panicked, "I can't cut you!? Your spiritual pressure can't be that massive. Unless your like the Thir-"

Ren didn't let Yumichika finish his sentence as he prepared a Kido spell.

 **"Hadou 4: Byakurai."**

Yumichika used his sickle to block the white bolt that had enough force to push him back. He bit his lip in rage at how Ren could stand there so calm and dare to use Kido.

"Don't you dare use a weakling thing such as Kido against a member of Squad 11." barked Yumichika, "I'll dice you into pieces."

As they clashed again sparks flying off as steel clashed against steel, Ren learned all he needed from this fight. His opponent was aggressive, but Ren held a cool head and the superior strength and skill with a sword. If it weren't for the training from Mr. Urahara, he would've lost due to stamina consumption. Such a problem wasn't one any longer, and it made Ren an unstoppable force.

"Tell me something, Lie Ren." said Yumichika, "Why are you stuck up with saving this ugly one over there?"

"Because he's my ally." answered Ren, locking his blade against the four sickles, "I won't abandon him like some bastard."

Finally, Ren resorted using his other dual blade as he deflected the four sickles away from him. Ren prepared his heaviest swing with that same blade in his left arm. Yumichika prepared to parry then use a heavy overhead swing to cut Ren's head off. He brought down the blade and it headed directly for the sickle as Yumichika planned, but it suddenly passed through his weapon like a ghost. Before he knew it, Ren dealt the decisive slash down Yumichika's body and blood leaked out of the deep wound.

Even as Yumichika fell, he still had the will to keep conscious. The more he moved, the more he bled. As an act of mercy, Ren made Yumichika stay still by pinning him down below his foot.

"How!?" said Yumichika, "I blocked that attack."

"That's my Zanpakuto's quirk, Kakkushifokkusu." said Ren, "Whatever the blade in my right hand slashed, it leaves a 'scent' that I can track down no matter how good my opponent is hiding. However, the blade in my left hand is more deadly. It does not allow any sort of guard to stop its attack. That's how my Zanpakuto haunts its victims, and seals the fate of those who try to best me."

Ren extended an open palm and chanted, **"Bakudou 9: Geki.** That should prevent you from losing blood until someone helps you. Consider this the next time you face us."

Yumichika only grumbled to himself and looked at Ren with rage. The Huntsman checked on Ganju, who was better than his injuries looked.

"Shoot up a firework so Ichigo can find you." said Ren, "I'm going to check on the others."

"How are you going to find them?" said Ganju, then he realized, "Wait a minute. Did you get a cut on all of us before we got here?"

"Don't ask me how." stated Ren before he vanished into a shunpo.

* * *

Ruby and Pyrrha clashed their Zanpakutos farther away from Ichigo's battle. Pyrrha was just as skilled and strong as Ruby remembered her, but it baffled her how Pyrrha could have turned into this sadistic maniac. The entire time they fought Pyrrha kept that maniacal smile and laughed.

"You may appear to be a novice." said Pyrrha, locking their blades together in a contest of strength, "Yet, you're form shows discipline and careful consideration. And your reflex and speed have quite a lot of experience. You may be on the level of a Second Seat. But..."

Suddenly, Ruby's guard was broken by Pyrrha's attack that held more strength than she could block. It left her wide-open from the chin and down, so Ruby had no choice but to hope her Aura would hold up and also attack herself. They both swung an overhead.

"... compared to me and my father, they are cattle." cried Pyrrha.

On contact, it sounded like steel clashed against steel as both their Zanpakutos were held back by an Aura that protected them. Both Ruby and Pyrrha were in shock and they jumped back.

"You're," said Pyrrha, "like me."

"That's called an Aura." said Ruby, "It's the physical manifestation of our soul, and it's proof that the your still in there."

Pyrrha looked amused. "I have no idea what you're on about, Rioka, but I do know one thing. This shield that surrounds was able to withstand a single strike from our captain. That's how I've earned my place in Squad 11, and said captain even brought under his wing as a daughter. He taught me everything I know, and I relish it all."

Ruby bit her lip. "So this captain turned you into this."

"He showed me the thrill of battle." said Pyrrha with a wicked smile, "If you and I share the same ability, then I won't hold back."

Pyrrha thrusted her blade into the ground as a knight would and chanted, **"Bathe in blood, In'vu Inshiburu."**

A light resonated from the blade. The hilt changed into a round red and gold shield even bigger than Ruby remembered and a sharp edge, and the blade itself turned into a short spear with a long, barbed blade. Pyrrha took a stance almost exact as Ruby remembered, her shield and left foot forward, but the spear and right foot hanging back. It made Ruby more hesitant to fight her seeing the same stance.

 **"Cast off the void, Mazazoru."**

Ruby's Zapakuto transformed into her giant reaper, and she took an opposing stance as she anchored the blade into the ground.

"Your Zanpakuto is wonderful." said Pyrrha, "Go on. Let's fight to the death."

Ruby acted on self-defense as Pyrrha charged forth. She fired a bullet of reishi, but it only bounced off Pyrrha's shield. Once in close quarters, Pyrrha swung the barbed spear with lunges and well-placed pokes aimed for Ruby's neck and chest while keeping her shield up. Ruby deflected every attack away with the polearm of her reaper, but when Ruby took a slash at Pyrrha it contacted the shield and Ruby found herself staggered and dazed. Ruby swiped for her legs, but Pyrrha jumped over it and landed on the reaper. For a second, Ruby was stunned until Pyrrha shield bashed her away.

Next, Pyrrha threw her shield like a disc. As Ruby swayed away from it, Pyrrha engaged with spear only. Even as fast as Ruby wielded Mazazoru, Pyrrha relied on her Aura to tank through so she could get slices and stabs at Ruby. Pyrrha got her on the neck and chest and a slash down her right shoulder, wounds that would've been fatal if it weren't for her Aura. Pyrrha dodged out of Mazazoru's reach, and Ruby realized in time to deflect the returning shield.

"How did you know about that?" asked Pyrrha.

"It's your Semblance." said Ruby, "You manipulate metal objects. And that always was your strategy."

"Hmph." said Pyrrha, "Let's see you handle this."

Pyrrha threw the shield again, but it soared at even greater speeds that caught off Ruby off guard. It hit her in the gut, but her Aura held back the damage. Ruby twirled her reaper in a blur of motion to block the soaring shield as it came back again and again from all directions. It became so fast that Ruby couldn't keep up and she felt it smack her in the jaw, sides, stomach, and legs. Eventually, her Aura was gone, and the next hit actually sliced through her arm. It then dealt a blunt blow across Ruby's cheek, drawing blood.

Pyrrha recalled her shield, and her smile flattened seeing Ruby more beaten. She saw more of a fight in the hooded girl, and this was getting annoying.

"What a waste of time." said Pyrrha, bored with this fight. Pyrrha readied to throw her spear. It burned in golden reiatsu that gave off heat as though Ruby was in an oven. Ruby couldn't move due to the injuries she was inflicted from the shield.

'Too strong.' thought Ruby, 'She's too strong. As always.'

"Die." said Pyrrha, **"Fangudo Faiya."**

Ruby only managed to raise her reaper in defense before Pyrrha launched the spear like a rocket. The reaper didn't hold for long, and Ruby could only redirect away from her chest before her reaper shattered. The spear seared right through Ruby's side just below her left lung. Blood flooded out from the wound, and Ruby collapsed to her knees.

'Why?' thought Ruby, "Why am I still so weak?'

Pyrrha walked toward Ruby as the spear returned to her hand. She put the shield and spear on her back, and placed a hand on Ruby's head.

"I'll give you this." said Pyrrha, "Not many opponents ever lasted till I used **Fangudo Faiya."**

This was exactly how it played out when Pyrrha died: Pyrrha on her knees before Cinder. This time, Ruby was on her knees before Pyrrha herself with a similar look in her eyes like Cinder did. How could she have turned into this?

Suddenly, Ruby noticed that everything was dead still, like time had stopped. Pyrrha appeared transparent, and out of nowhere Summer (Mazazoru) appeared approaching her. She had a troubled look on her face as though she dreaded what was to come.

"M-Mom..." said Ruby.

"Ruby, I need to hear this." said Summer, "Do you want to win? Or do you want to live?"

Ruby thought about the question for a little bit, then answered, "If I lose, I won't live. So I have to win."

"Very well." replied Summer.

In an instant, Ruby found herself in her inner world, a field from Patch littered with roses and a singular willow tree. Ruby recognized that tree as the same one Team STRQ took a picture of themselves. Summer stood beside Ruby, her cloak flapping in the wind of her inner world, hiding away her feet. She held Mazazoru while Ruby held just some normal katanna.

"Ruby," said Summer, "I would gladly give you my strength, but you have to prove something. I can't give you anymore strength than you already till you convince her that you can wield me."

"'Her'?" said Ruby, "Who is this-"

A distorted cackle caught Ruby off midsentence. A black blur came from the willow tree and grabbed the reaper from Summer's hand. Even she was caught off guard. Ruby followed the blur's motion behind her and her eyes widened in shock. Wrapped in a coal black cloak was a doppleganger of Ruby. Instead of silver eyes and red hair, this copy of Ruby had black eyes with crimson pupils and white hair that matched her pale skin. Her smile sent chills through Ruby's spine.

"Who are you?" asked Ruby.

"He-he-he." snickered the doppleganger, "Someone who's ticked off how utterly lame you are."

'I don't get it.' thought Ruby, 'It's like I'm-'

"Looking at a Grimm." finished the clone, "That's right. My soul is a void."

"This is the test, Ruby." said Summer, "Your enemy is your-"

"Shut it!" snapped Grimm Ruby, "I'm calling the shots here. You want this reaper so badly, come and get it."

Ruby attacked first, out of rage. "Don't you dare talk to Mom like that."

"It's your fault really." said Grimm Ruby, pushing back Ruby easily, "After all, we're two sides of the same coin. She's both our mother."

"What?" exclaimed Ruby before she was pushed back like a thrown doll.

'What kind of strength is that?!' thought Ruby.

She gasped at the sight of Mazazoru. Red reiatsu burned off it so brightly, it was like the air was glowing with it.

'I know that Mazazoru was amazing but,' thought Ruby, 'I never realized. Makes this sword in my hands look like crap.'

"Are you just waiting to die?" asked Grimm Ruby.

Ruby stood in shock as Grimm Ruby spun the reaper from a looping hole along the polearm. It spun so fast with such strength that it ripped through the ground without stop.

"Why the heck are you wielding it like that?" said Ruby, "Uncle Qrow said-"

"I don't give a damn what that dust-bowl taught." snapped Grimm Ruby, "Did you even think how this reaper is supposed to be wielded?!"

Grimm Ruby rushed down Ruby as she spun the reaper like some string on a loop. It ripped the ground apart, and Ruby was forced to use her Semblance to get out of the way. She used the exact same Semblance to get behind Ruby. When she blocked the reaper, her arms shook violently from the force as Ruby was blown back.

"Do you really think," said Grimm Ruby, "you can have a friend just by knowing its name? That's what you've been doing, you arrogant brat. Just calling on Mazazoru's name is an insult to our mother. You can't begin to understand her."

"That's a lie!" Ruby protested, "I make it a mission to understand weapons. I think of them as an extension of one's being. Zanpakutos are the perfect representation of what I'm trying to get at. And it's not only weapons, but people too. If you're a part of me, then you know that I understand Team RWBY and everyone from Beacon. I trust them as allies not just because I understand them, but also because I know they will have my back. Like I trust Mazazoru with my life."

"Heh," responded Grimm Ruby, "then prove it!"

Ruby defended herself from a quick slash that held enough power to blow her across the field. She stopped herself by anchoring the blade into the ground, but stood there without a guard.

'Mazazoru,' thought Ruby, 'Mom, if I really don't understand, then you show me. Even if it is just a little at a time, I'll strive to know your power. Because I trust you with my life, and because I could never imagine anyone else fighting at my side along with my friends. Along with Team RWBY. As team leader, I think you are an irreplaceable member.'

At last second, Ruby felt familiar iron in her hands. Before her eyes was her reaper, and Grimm Ruby only had a normal blade. Summer smiled in the background. With one subtle swing, Ruby broke the Grimm's blade and she disappeared back to the real world. Grimm Ruby looked at the broken blade with contempt and glanced at Summer.

"She's stronger than I ever thought she would be." said Grimm Ruby, jumping back into the confines of the willow tree.

"You," said Summer, a bit grouchy, "did your part fine."

"C'mon, Mom," said Grimm Ruby, "why the hate?"

"No, it's not that." said Summer, regretting her tone, "Cri-"

Suddenly, Grimm Ruby blinked right in front of Summer, sending fear through her. There was the look of death in those red eyes like all Grimm gave off.

"You don't deserve to call me that!" snapped Grimm Ruby, "Train her well, Mother, because soon I'll take back the life you stole from me."

Grimm Ruby disappeared into the willow tree without a sound. Summer glanced down to the ground. Her knees gave out and Summer sobbed softly, tears dropping down into the meadow like rain.

"I'm," whimpered Summer, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Ruby's sealed up, and she overflowed with new strength. All that was left toward her opponent was disgust and hate.

"You idiot." said Ruby, "The Pyrrha I knew-"

Ruby got to her feet in quick succession and knocked her head hard into Pyrrha's face, causing her nose to bleed.

"-would never let her guard down like that." roared Ruby. She didn't bother picking up Mazazoru and instead followed-up with a right hook that impacted with a crack through the air.

"Pyrrha Nikos was invincible," cried Ruby, swinging more heavy punches and her eyes and reiatsu glowing silver, "because she had a heart for everyone around her. She was kind to her friends. She was pillar of support and encouragement for those in need. And she laughed with her team she considered family. I refuse to believe this is the true you Pyrrha."

Once Ruby saw Pyrrha raise up her shield, she grabbed her reaper and swept it aside with superior strength and dealt a bloody cut across her torso. Her guard gone, Ruby swung a left hook that sent Pyrrha into a tumble across the floor.

"I'll make you remember," cried Ruby, silver reiatsu rising like a flare, "even if I have to beat you to a bloody pulp."

Pyrrha got to her feet, and her smile widened even more. She altogether abandoned talking as a sickly dark blue reiatsu burned off her with an amazing pressure and concentrated onto her spear. Ruby knew she was going to put everything she got into one final attack, and so stayed her stance as she increased her spiritual power as well.

"Do you hear that?" said Summer, noting the screech in the air, "Her own Zanpakuto knows this isn't the real Pyrrha. It may be released physically, but the power behind it is in disharmony. It's tearing Pyrrha's soul apart."

"All I need is just one slice." said Ruby, her eyes basically lanterns of silver light, "She can't win."

Pyrrha's aura made a a decayed skull in a Greek helm. Ruby raised her reiatsu in response making a face with silver eyes, but it had a strange feature. The right side of its face was in a mask with a red eye that contrasted with the left silver eye.

Pyrrha charged down Ruby with only brute force in mind and blade. Ruby didn't move an inch and watched carefully as Pyrrha charged her down. She didn't even put up her shield, making it too easy. Ruby held the reaper near the head and held it in a downward stance.

"And Pyrrha," cried Ruby, "was never this slow."

Ruby swung up Mazazoru and caught Pyrrha from the chin to her toes as she cut a deep slice through her torso to the left shoulder. Pyrrha's blade left her hand, never to reach Ruby at all, and she looked with wide eyes at those silver eyes that burned so bright that the entire was engulfed in its mystic light. Her mind went ached as random visions passed by her vision, and it all went black.

When the light died down, Ruby was out of breath. Summer couldn't lend anymore power to stop the bleeding, but Ruby willed herself to stay on her feet. Pyrrha lay on the ground, bloody but still alive. If one were to wipe all the blood away, it would seem like she was sleeping soundly. Ruby made her way back to Ichigo, dragging Mazazoru on the ground.

"Maybe now," mumbled Ruby, "You'll come back to your real self."

* * *

 **Up next Chapter 9: RUN!**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	9. RUN!

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 9: RUN!**

Once Ichigo defeated Ikkaku, he used the baldy's ointment to heal their wounds. He was able to get some information out of him on the whereabouts of Rukia, and a warning to avoid Captain Kenpachi. He felt a presence slowly approach him and raised Zangetsu, but relaxed when he realized it was Ruby. That relief turned into shock seeing the massive wound in Ruby's side and the weak state she was in as she dragged her reaper on the ground. As Ichigo ran up to her, Ruby collapsed and her Zanpakuto sealed itself. Ichigo managed to catch Ruby before she hit the ground.

"Hey, Ruby!" cried Ichigo, "Ruby! Dammit!"

Ruby was losing a lot of blood, so Ichigo used the cloth on Zangetsu to tie around Ruby. Once he put her Zanpakuto firmly in her sheath he slung her onto his shoulder. Admittedly, Ruby was a bit heavier than expected, but that didn't stop him.

"...I...won." Ruby mumbled.

"Hang in there." Ichigo prayed.

Meanwhile, Ikkaku's eyes were wide with shock. In his mind, Pyrrha should've turned the girl into a bloody paste, but here she was instead of the Third Seat. He couldn't believe it that someone of Pyrrha's caliber and himself were defeated by these Rioka. Ikkaku could also sense that Ruby's spiritual pressure was greater than the last time he saw her run off battling Pyrrha. How could these two have their powers multiplying at an alarming rate?

"Impossible!" exclaimed Ikkaku, "How could she have bested Pyrrha?! The daughter of Captain Zaraki?!"

"I don't give a damn about you anymore." barked Ichigo, "Unless you know how I can help Ruby."

However, a horde of Squad 11 shinigami were rushing down Ichigo and Ruby like bulls seeing red. All Ichigo could do was run as fast as he could away from the bad-mouthing shinigami. Some paused to look at the down Ikkaku, but that served for the rest to chase them down with more fervor via vengeance.

"Goddammit." cursed Ichigo, running even as his legs screamed in pain, "How many of these bastards are there?"

He couldn't use his weapon, or else he would take off the bandaging and reopen Ruby's wound. There had to be some way to save her. The only thoughts running through Ichigo was to outrun the chasing shinigami.

"Hey Ichigo." Ichigo looked ahead to find Ganju. "What are-"

He stopped dead in his sentence seeing the mob that was chasing after him. Ichigo still kept running after him, even as Ganju had his own mob after him.

"Don't come any closer to me." shouted Ganju, "Stop waving at me. You're making them mad."

'Sorry about this, Zangetsu.' thought Ichigo as he ripped the cloth and quickly tied the bandage around Ruby so it would stay. After that, Ichigo jumped a kicked a guy in the face, and Ganju punched a guy behind him.

"Ganju," called Ichigo, throwing Ruby to Ganju, "Catch and duck."

Ganju caught Ruby safely and Ichigo swung Zangetsu toward the approaching horde. That one swing took down five lines on each side and crushed them into groaning bodies on the ground.

"What are you doing throwing a girl at me and swinging a sword so close to me?!" screamed Ganju.

"I told you to duck didn't I." barked Ichigo.

"Say it before, not at the same time, you moron." barked Ganju. "Yeah, but we got other things to worry about. They backed off after your little surprise attack, but it isn't gonna work again."

Ichigo noticed some strange commotion that was drawing closer from the horde of shinigami before him. He could see the men shifting around in annoyance as something got close. Then, out came a small man of weak build falling to the ground. He had the same clothes as a shinigami, but lacked a sword.

Ganju smiled. "Ichigo, I think I have an idea how we can get ourselves out of this mess."

"Me too." agreed Ichigo. He was thankful Ruby was unconscious; she would be the only one against this.

The shinigami looked up. "So you guys are trying to get out of this place? But why would you try to get away from here? Unless of course you happen to be the Rioka that everyone is so worried about."

The shinigami realized too late and he was held by Ganju and Ichigo held the edge of Zangetsu to his throat.

"You guys are gonna let us out of here." demanded Ganju.

"Or else your friend is gonna be missing some pieces." threatened Ichigo.

"AAH!" screamed Hanatoro.

The reaction they were expecting didn't come. Instead they were silent for a while in surprise then they started laughing. They explained how they were from Squad 11 and that the shinigami they took prisoner was from Squad 4. Unlike the other Gotei 13, Squad 4 is a medical unit and as they say are for chumps who can't use a sword.

"Go right ahead and kill that weasel."

"Hey," cried Ganju, "don't you think it's a little bit cruel to recommend death to someone just because they have different responsibilities?!"

"That kind of almost makes sense." said Ichigo.

"...concur..." moaned Ruby deliriously.

They were about to be overrun from both sides, but an explosion from a wall cut their forces in half. Ichigo and Ganju spent no time to wonder, and Ichigo cleaved a path through the other side with Hanatoro still in Ganju's grasp as well as Ruby slumped over his shoulder.

* * *

"I'll say this again." interrogated Mayuri, looming over Ikkaku who was on a medical bed.

"Captain Mayuri, I must protest." said a nurse, "Interrogation of patients is strictly prohibited."

"Mind your own buisness." snarled Mayuri, scaring the nurse away with a Kido blast.

"I'm telling you all I know." lied Ikkaku, seemingly unfazed by the sadistic captain. He was saving the information for Captain Zaraki only. "I don't know who the Ryoka are, nor what their goals are."

"How can that be?!" snarled Mayuri, "You were defeated in battle without learning a single shred of information?"

"Exactly." stated Ikkaku, refusing to give him eye contact.

"Liar." Mayuri turned to the Third Seat of Squad 11, Pyrrha Zaraki. She had been dealt similar injuries, but she was still unconscious from a strange "head trauma" that none of the doctors could explain. As Mayuri approached the unconscious redhead, Ikkaku's expression turned grim and hateful.

"Why you bastard." snarled Ikkaku, "Don't you dare touch his daughter!"

"I find it a suitable punishment," said Mayuri, raising a bladed hand, "for your failure of giving me information."

Before Mayuri could pierce Pyrrha's heart, a hand gripped Mayuri's arm tightly. The scientist turned around in shock to find none other Captain Zaraki holding his arm back from striking his daughter. His lip spread in a sour and hated expression, a face Ikkaku rarely saw but feared.

"Zaraki!" said Mayuri.

"I want you to know this." said Zaraki, his spiritual pressure crushing the room, "If I find any drop of blood of her blood anywhere because you struck my daughter in such a pathetic state, I will cleave you in two before every captain to see."

Mayuri swiped his hand away and took his leave. Kenpachi was in silence looking at the still Pyrrha below him on the medical bed. He never imagined her to ever be defeated, and she had been cut not once but multiple times. Whoever it was to beat Ikkaku and Pyrrha was definitely strong and he need to find him or them.

"You certainly look beat." said Kenpachi, glancing back to Ikkaku.

"Captain," said Ikkaku, "thank goodness you got here before that creep could do anything to her."

"We didn't plan to." said Yachiru, hopping off of Kenpachi's shoulder on top of Pyrrha, "We just got lost. Kenny here was having trouble following directions, but I may as well see how my little sister and you are doing, baldy."

"Don't call me that." snarled Ikkaku.

"Is it true that you were defeated in battle?" asked Kenpachi.

"I'm sorry, Captain." said Ikkaku, "If I wasn't defeated, I could've-"

"Save it." stated Kenpachi in a sharp tone.

As the two conversed, Yachiru poked Pyrrha in the chest and face to try and get some response from her sister. The secretly Zanpakuto spirit could sense a rise in her spiritual pressure as Pyrrha's face started to twitch and sweat. In fact, it was rising higher, not necessarily in power but like it was being sharpened. Pyrrha started to mumble some things in her sleep as visions of a past that she didn't know until know forcefully flashed before her eyes and flooded into her head. She remembered a certain blonde boy her age, full of spirit, yet lacking in training. Most importantly, he had a heart and a drive that made others come to his side. It was that quality that made Pyrrha Nikos fall in love with him, and remember him to the bitter end of her life. That is until a familiar silver light brought them back.

"JAUNE!" screamed Pyrrha, sitting straight.

The released state of her Zanpakuto soared through the walls of the hospital and locked in Pyrrha's hands. She was at first in disbelief that her Zanpakuto was the exact copy of her weapons back in Remnant, minus the rifle. Pyrrha quickly hid away her shock as she realized she had her short spear aimed at Yachiru, her supposed 'older' sister.

"I'm sorry, little Pyrrha." apologized Yachiru frantically.

Even Kenpachi was a bit taken back. No one should have their injuries healed like that. On closer glance, he noticed the shimmering light that surrounded Pyrrha, the same that blocked his blade and gained his respect to adopt the redhead. He could also feel there was a greater increase and sharpness to Pyrrha's reiatsu. And she seemed different than Kenpachi could describe it. Not that he was a people person to begin with.

"Pyrrha, you're healed." said Kenpachi.

Pyrrha looked to Kenpachi, and he could see the confusion in her eyes whilst she stared at him.

"Father." Pyrrha said finally.

"Again and again," said Kenpachi smiling, "you continue to surprise me. No one, not even myself has ever healed that quickly. There's not even a scar on you."

Pyrrha checked herself. It felt like her body was brand new, and she couldn't believe just how powerful her Aura was to heal her like that. Kenpachi gave her a suspicious look.

"Tell me," said Kenpachi, "what is your name?"

"Pyrrha," stated Pyrrha, "Zaraki."

She lied. Her true name is Pyrrha Nikos. Kenpachi was none the wiser.

"Who was it that bested you in combat?" asked Kenpachi with his wicked smile.

"A girl with a reaper for a Zanpakuto," answered Pyrrha, "Wearing a red hood and her eyes shine a bright silver glow. I... do not know her name."

"The Ryoka that beat you," questioned Kenpachi to both Ikkaku and Pyrrha, "Are they strong?"

"Of course they are." said Ikkaku. "They are heading to the repentance cell."

"And they will continue to get stronger." added Pyrrha, "I am unsure who is the stronger out of the two."

"Good." said Kenpachi, "I can't wait to fight them."

Before he left, Kenpachi paused to see his daughter leap out of the bed and standing strong. She stretched her arms feeling no pain, and she held her spear and shield in one hand. Despite lacking footwear , Pyrrha made her way out of the hospital.

"Where are you going?" asked Kenpachi.

"To the forge." answered Pyrrha, "There's something I must do."

Kenpachi only smiled and let her daughter go. Unknown to him was her thoughts on actually helping the Rioka, specifically Ruby Rose.

'Ruby,' thought Pyrrha, 'I have many questions, but I do know that you are on a quest. Whatever it is, I will help you. First, I need my rifle.'

* * *

"Why the hell did you bring him here?!" barked Ichigo.

"I don't know, I was too busy holding your girlfriend to notice." barked Ganju.

"First, she's not my girlfriend." shouted Ichigo, "And what are you, the trash man?!"

Hanatoro was focused on the injured girl that lay further in the room. Despite the makeshift care Ichigo gave her, Hanatoro knew she wouldn't last long. They may be the enemy, but he had a vow as a healer.

"Guys, this is not time to argue." said Hanatoro, raising his voice, "If I don't do something, your friend is going to die."

That caught Ichigo's attention. With a nod, he made way for Hanatoro to heal Ruby. First, she removed the bandages and immediately stopped the bleeding with Kido. He was in disbelief how Ruby was still alive. Meanwhile, Ichigo was talking to Ganju how to find the repentance cell where Rukia was held. It caught Hanatoro while still healing Ruby.

"It's Rukia Kuchiki you're looking for, isn't it?" said Hanatoro, "It makes sense now. And that white tower you were talking about must be the repentance cell. If you'll trust me, I can get you into that tower."

Hanatoro suddenly stopped healing Ruby once a silver-red light enveloped her body. Her wound healed as her Aura awakened and her eyes opened awake. She was so fast when she suddenly got to her feet.

"I feel like a Nevermore rammed a beak into me." groaned Ruby, looking around, "Where are we? Who are you?"

"I-I'm Hanataro." he said, a bit stunned of Ruby's speedy recovery.

"Man," commented Ganju, "these Squad 4 medics are no joke."

"Alright," said Ichigo, recovering from his shock, "you've gained our trust."

"The only place where they'll never find us." said Hanataro, "The sewer system."

"NOOOO!" Much to Ruby's displeasure, Ichigo dragged by her cloak and they climbed through a panel.

Along the way, Hanataro notice something drop out of Ruby's clothes. His eyes widened on a mask he had never seen before. It reminded him of a Hollow's mask, but something in him told that it wasn't the same. Even thought it gave him the creeps, Hanataro picked it up so he could give it back to Ruby.

* * *

Chad was surrounded by the whole horde of Squad 11. His right arm, The Arm of the Giant (okay I somewhat forget what it is called), brimmed with energy ready to blast a whole line away. However, a Soul Reaper got behind and raised his sword. The next second, that same Soul Reaper was kicked away as the blades of Ren cut the shinigami's blade to pieces.

 **"Hadou 31: Shakkaho."**

While Ren blasted a whole horde with Kido, Chad blasted the horde on the other side with a single punch. There was silence as their opponents lay unconscious on the ground. Chad glanced to Ren.

"You've seen Ichigo?" asked Chad.

"Yeah." said Ren, "Don't worry, I'm sure he and the others are fine. I have complete faith in them."

They were completely silent... for the whole time... not a single word mentioned between them as they made their way through the Soul Society. Too bad none of the Soul Reapers were conscious so they could question them. (They are both basically deadpans. As far as I know they aren't strong conversationalists.)

* * *

In the tunnels, Hanataro was basically begging the group to save Rukia. He talked how nice she was to her every time the he visited Rukia's cell. He knew it wasn't right for her execution, and Ruby agreed with Hanataro on that level.

"Sounds like this Rukia is a strange Soul Reaper." commented Ganju.

"Yeah." said Ichigo, "She sure is."

Ichigo suddenly picked up the pace and only Ruby could catch up to him. It was useless just to talk some sense with him and just joined him in his haste.

"Ichigo," said Ruby, "I may not know this Rukia, but I promise you I'll try my hardest to rescue her."

They stopped at a latter Hanataro pointed out to be where they would enter the base of the white tower. When they resurfaced, they found themselves in a mist. Ichigo made his way through the mist followed closely by Ruby, but Ganju and Hanataro were more cautious. Suddenly, Ichigo halted in their path before a huge flight of stairs.

"What is it Ichigo?" asked Ruby, but he said nothing.

Ichigo's squinted and the fog cleared. There was a man standing at the base of the stairs with red spiky hair and a Soul Reaper's outfit. Ruby noticed the shock in Ichigo's eyes before the man.

"I wonder," said the man, "do you still remember my face?"

"I've got a whole mountain of payback to extract from you," said Ichigo with a serious expression, "Renji Abarai."

"You not only remembered my face, but my name as well." said Renji, then he glanced to Ruby beside him, "Who is that?"

His eyes widened recognizing the similar clothing Ruby wore and seeing a Zanpakuto at her hilt. Not to mention the girl's strange spiritual pressure. He only felt this kind from Pyrrha, and he considered her skill on par with a lieutenant if there wasn't Yachiru in her way.

"My name is Ruby Rose." said Ruby, her face hardened as she reached for the hilt of her Zanpakuto. She then whispered to Ichigo with a curled lip, "Uh, what's the deal with this guy?"

"This guy," said Ichigo, "was the one who took Rukia away, and sentenced her to death."

A brow twitched on Renji's face. Ruby was about to open for an attack when she saw Renji reaching for his sword but Ichigo stopped her.

"Don't." said Ichigo with a stern tone, "I'll handle this alone."

"But what if-"

"There's no say in the matter." barked Ichigo, drawing Zangetsu. With a pout, Ruby loosened her grip on the hilt of her Zanpakuto but didn't have her hands far from it.

"Are you sure you want to fight me alone?" said Renju as the two walked closer, "It'll make your chances better."

"At least I have the respect to fight you one-on-one." retorted Ichigo.

"I was sure you were a dead man the last time we met." said Renju, drawing his Zanpakuto and increasing his pace in a run, "As I once said, I'm going to be the one to kill whoever stole Rukia's powers."

"What do you care," growled Ichigo, charging at Renji, "when you sentenced her to death?!"

They opened up with a regular side slash, and upon impact a shockwave resonated from their clashing spiritual pressures. Ruby didn't feel herself pushed and her hair whipped in the riled wind, but Ganju and Hanataro had to find cover. However, they did not know of another spiritual pressure that had followed Renji. He came on the concern of Momo's worries, and stared down with a hard glare at the fight below.

Ruby had that tingle in her eyes. When Renju and Ichigo backed away, Ruby sprang into action using her Semblance to get there in time. Her blade clashed against another, and Ruby was staring into shocked eyes of a man of Renji's stature. His outfit was sleeveless and he had a 69 tattoo on his left cheek. Ruby made it just in time to save Ichigo, and they themselves were shocked at the newcomer.

"Hisagi!" exclaimed Renji, "What are- Did you follow me!?"

"Momo was worried." argued Hisagi, "What are you thinking fighting against an enemy while outnumbered?"

"I can handle it." barked Renji.

"Like it or not," said Hisagi, "I'm joining you in this fight."

"Then let's take this somewhere then." said Ruby, swinging another slice. Hisagi blocked it but suddenly Ruby's blade glowed silver and he was suddenly blasted afar. It was a wordless Shirubasukai and even though Ruby still didn't master the technique it still worked even in the Zanpakuto's sealed form.

Hisagi didn't look like he took that much damage as he got to his feet. Ruby prepared her blade in an opposing stance while Ichigo and Renji continued their battle a fair distance away.

"I guess you'll be my opponent." said Hisagi.

* * *

 **Soo sorry I haven't been uploading. I've just been reading other stories and I kinda got distracted, and life is hitting me like a train. Up Next Chapter 10.**


	10. Duel of Scythe Users

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 10: Duel of Scythe-Users**

With Ichigo busy with Renju, Ruby was busy with Hisagi. He was faster than Pyrrha, but that didn't seem to be a problem. For some reason, she felt as though a light swing impacted with the force of a heavy one. Her speed and reflexes dodged even at the most last second circumstance. Hisagi was surprised by Ruby's natural battle motions and soon adapted. His swings became heavy sending shocks through Ruby's arm. When Ruby countered with a lunge, Hisagi suddenly used shunpo, and just as instantly Hisagi swung a clear blow to Ruby's side flank.

Hisagi was in shock seeing his blade stop mere inches from Ruby by a shield of some sorts. Before Ruby could react for a counter, Hisagi used a short, quick shunpo to gain some distance to evaluate the situation.

'I've seen that before.' thought Hisagi, 'The Third Seat of Squad 11 has that power.'

To the lieutenant's surprise, Ruby used her Semblance instead of shunpo to close the distance. It caught Hisagi off guard long enough to hesitate using shunpo. Ruby brought down an overhead with all her might, and the area exploded in a cloud of dust and a crater formed at their feet.

'She's strong.' thought Hisagi in shock.

Ruby pushed her blade through Hisagi's guard and cut him at the shoulder as he stepped back. They both gave each other stern looks as a tension grew between them.

"What is your name, Rioka?" Hisagi asked.

"Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced with a smile, "Awesome Huntress of Remnant."

That was a new one. He heard of hollows, bounts, and Quincys, but never anything close to a huntress as Ruby claimed herself to be. And what place was called Remnant? Hisagi knew too well there was no such place in the Living World called that. Then, there was Ruby's strange reiatsu that literally was so concentrated and manipulated that it coated her body in a shield.

"What's yours?" Ruby asked.

The sudden question surprised Hisagi and he answered. "My name is Shuhei Hisagi, lieutenant of Squad 9."

Ruby smiled. "You don't seem like a bad guy, but I know you won't let me or anyone of my friends pass."

"Rioka are not welcome in the Soul Society." stated Hisagi, "And I'm sorry to say but you've already sealed your fate when you assaulted and defeated Squad 11."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Really? I've only fought Pyrrha since the first time I got here. I must've been really out of it."

Hisagi was shocked as his eyes widened. He gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto tighter to keep his composure.

'This is the one?!' thought Hisagi, 'This is the Rioka that beat Pyrrha. I can't afford to hold back.'

"If you're the one who beat Pyrrha Zaraki," said Hisagi, holding his Zanpakuto in front of him, "I have no choice but to go after you with the intent to kill."

His reiatsu started to increase around him, causing the wind to whip violently. Ruby covered her eyes from the violet winds and a teal aura burned around Hisagi.

 **"Reap, Kazeshini."**

Before Ruby's eyes was Hisagi's true Zanpakuto. He held two spiked poles connected to each other with chains in a Kusarigama fashion. The poles were armed with scythe blades inverted to resemble a pinwheel. Hisagi's expression became more dark as the very winds around him became a gust.

"I don't usually like to release my Zanpakuto," said Hisagi, "but I have an oath to the Gotei 13 to defend the Sereitei."

' _Finally you release me, Hisagi.'_ spoke the voice of Kazeshini.

 _'Ruby those weapons are...'_ spoke Summer.

Ruby gawked at Kazeshini with eyes that sparkled like diamonds. "That's... so... COOL!"

"Huh?" responded Hisagi, completely dumbfounded.

"Your weapon is awesome." said Ruby, zipping around Hisagi at all angles while admiring his scythes, "So, like do call it dual sycthes, or something else? Oh, why didn't I think of this when making Crescent Rose..."

 _'It's so awesome.'_ Summer agreed in the exact same mind as Ruby.

Hisagi tried to say something, but the words couldn't leave his throat. Even Kazeshini was in shock.

 _'This one is strange_ _.'_ Kazeshini noted.

"I bet Uncle Qrow would be so jealous." continued Ruby with her fangirling, "Oh-oh-oh, how far can it wrap around opponents? How far is its reach? Can you manipulate its movement in the air? How fast can you spin it? Imagine how many Grimm you could take down with it."

"You," Hisagi managed to say, "you think my Zanpakuto is 'cool'?"

"Of course it is." cried Ruby, "I love them. What's not to love about scythes?"

Hisagi looked at his Zanpakuto. The more he looked at it, the more sickened he was at its appearance. It promised nothing but death to its opponents. Yet, here was this girl who showed zero fear and her eyes full of admiration for his weapon. It was the first time not feeling any killing intent even with his Shikai.

'What in the world is she?' thought Hisagi.

 _"I doubt she's even part of this world.'_ said Kazeshini.

After another moment of admiring Kazeshini, Ruby stepped back with a more serious expression while still keeping that smile. Hisagi could sense that their battle was about to continue and took an opposing stance.

"You've shown me yours," said Ruby, positioning her Zanpakuto in a diagonally, "now I'll show you mine. **Cast off the void, Mazazoru."**

Silver reiatsu exploded off of Ruby as her Zanpakuto grew and changed shape. Hisagi was shocked to find Ruby now wielding a massive scythe of red and black. She twirled it around in such fluid, fast motions Hisagi couldn't keep track of it. Ruby anchored the scythe into the ground as though aiming it at Hisagi.

"Here I come." cried Ruby, bursting into her Semblance.

'Are those... rose petals?' thought Hisagi as Ruby drew closer.

(Que Red Like Roses Pt II)

He successfully parried away Ruby's opener and threw his left scythe to counter. Ruby deflected it away with a quick swipe of Mazazoru, but Hisagi used that as an opening to attack. Not only has his weapons changed, Hisagi was also physically stronger and faster than before. Ruby wasn't used to someone wielding two weapons and she had to keep herself on her toes.

After Hisagi retrieved his left scythe, he brought it down where it locked on Ruby's polearm. She noticed the disappearance of the right scythe and knew with a pull on its chain that it was behind her. Ruby managed to aim Mazazoru at Hisagi and fired off a reishi bullet. Hisagi managed to tilt his head far enough to avoid a direct shot and it grazed the side of his left cheek. The recoil from the shot blew Ruby backwards and she went over the scythe, grazing the aura on her back.

Ruby stayed her distance as she anchored her feet into the ground to steady her aim of reishi bullets. Hisagi just blinked in and out of sight of the bullets and threw a rod as the blades spun like a pinwheel. Ruby aimed her swing carefully and deflected it away into the air. She saw Hisagi throw the other scythe and pull the other one down. Ruby used shunpo to get away, but Hisagi got behind her and quickly retracted the scythes to Ruby's position.

Ruby was hit full force by the spinning scythes. Hisagi hopped over to avoid getting cut by his own weapon and Ruby was sent into a wall. Hisagi retracted his poles with a quick pull, but there wasn't any blood. Ruby stepped out of the rubble, her Aura flickering from just managing to protect her from certain death.

"You're a tough one, I'll give you that." said Hisagi.

Ruby panted. "Oh, yeah watch this."

Hisagi wasn't prepared for Ruby combining shunpo and the little bit of her Semblance she had left. He threw one of his scythes, but Ruby blocked it away and rushed for the shinigami. Her scythe twirled around her like a complete blur like before, but the occasional bullet shot increased the speed to out of sight via recoil. As he retracted his other scythe, he struggled to defend himself against Ruby's attacks. She was using the blunt edge of her weapon, but the impacts could break bone as they hit his ribs, shoulders, and sides. When his retracted scythe was going to strike from behind, Ruby basically sped up the speed of her scythe to defend from all sides. Hisagi was in disbelief of Ruby's reflexes.

'She must have trained half her life,' thought Hisagi, 'but she isn't trying to kill me. That will be her downfall.'

Hisagi used shunpo to get out of Ruby's way, if only for a moment. A moment long enough to use Kido.

 **"Bakudou 62: Hyappo Rankan."**

A rod of purple light shot out of Hisagi's hands and suddenly split into hundreds.

"What the-" exclaimed Ruby as she tried to dodge, but it was useless. There were so many that the very air was clouded with them. She was pinned to the wall, and her eyes widened as Hisagi threw both of his scythes. Ruby got footing on the wall and used shunpo to get out, but Hisagi anticipated this and pulled back the chains with all his might.

An unbearable sharp pain shocked through her whole body as the scythes literally ripped through Ruby's shoulders. Blood rained out of the wounds onto the floor, and she kneeled to the ground. Ruby supported herself on Mazazoru to keep herself from falling. Hisagi didn't attack and casually approached Ruby with a cold expression.

"You're talented and skilled." said Hisagi, "And you have the speed and power of a lieutenant, but there is one clear difference between of why you're on the ground bloody while I stand. It is because you didn't bring yourself to kill. When you kill, it brings out the necessary strength. You can't win against killing intent without killing intent as well."

Ruby was too in pain to speak, but she was speechless anyway. Then she went back to what Ren and Mr. Urahara said.

 _'When you defend, you counter. When you protect someone, you don't let them die. When you attack, you kill.'_

When Ruby heard those words, all she could see was their faces during training. Neither of them had any sympathy or emotion in those eyes as they said those words. That cold look spoke only one thing: death. The purest killing intent.

She hated those last words. They went against everything she stood for. But, Ruby had seen more death than she wished for. Heck, she died herself and that's how she got stuck in this world. Life wasn't a fairy tale. Not everybody is going to get what they wanted. Ruby realized that her entire belief in those fairy tales and wishing for a happy ending was selfish thinking, just like Weiss when they first met.

Ruby repeated those words in her head over and over. They resonated in her heart and mind, and the pain was suddenly mild compared to this cooling sensation through her very soul. She accepted it with open arms, and Ruby ascended to her feet much to Hisagi's shock. When her eyes stared back, she gave back the same cold glare that Hisagi had. The glare that told her killing intent.

"I see..." said Ruby in a flat tone, raising her scythe above her head. Her reiatsu suddenly increased, pulling pebbles from the ground around her. The very blade of Mazazoru vibrated the air under its power. Hisagi felt his body sinking to his knees by this crushing pressure.

'Her spiritual pressure skyrocketed so much it's crushing me.' thought Hisagi, struggling to keep on his feet, 'Is this Rioka - Ruby - on par with a captain?!'

"If killing intent is needed," said Ruby, her voice void of emotion, "then I will kill you."

"Even so," Hisagi groaned, using all his strength to stand up, "I'm not going to go down."

Hisagi held his scythes and threw them at Ruby with all his strength as he chanted. **"Kubikake."**

"You may not like it, but this is my resolve, Uncle Qrow." said Ruby, her blade and eyes shimmering in silver, **"** **Shirubasukai."**

A tremendous light tore through the air, ground, and shattered Kazeshini into pieces as it sped toward Hisagi. It was a slicing ray of pure reiatsu that pushed Hisagi away, ripping his clothes and burning his flesh. The ground even gave way as it slanted up. Hisagi was stopped by it, but he coughed blood on impact.

His weapons were nothing but metal sticks from that last attack Ruby did. They wouldn't be much use anyway. His arms were immobile from his wounds. He was only able to look ahead of him at his opponent. Ruby stared Hisagi as her eyes burned a silver light he had never seen before. That light died down, but that cold look lingered in the glitter of her eyes forever.

She had her own wounds as well, and by all rights should be the one to fall. Yet, Ruby stayed on her feet and made her way to Ichigo who was not too far.

"Ruby was it?" groaned Hisagi, catching Ruby's attention, "Do you... fear your weapon?"

Ruby only took one glance at Mazazoru as she sealed and sheated it away.

"Of course." answered Ruby, showing sympathy, "I mean, who doesn't? Even the most experienced have fear of their own weapons. But what I learned from my time training to become a Huntress is that you may fear your weapon, but you must always trust it. Because in the end, it'll be the last thing at your side."

Hisagi was wide-eyed with surprise as Ruby continued on her way with a limp. He glanced to his broken Zanpakuto, and his hate for it dimmed a little.

'Kazeshini,' thought Hisagi before everything went black, 'can I really trust you? Or rather do you trust me?'

* * *

Renji had just passed out after hearing a promise from Ichigo to save Rukia. Then from his left appeared Ruby, bloodied from her battle but standing as the victor. She approached Ichigo slowly with a limp and flinching from pain in her shoulders.

"You won." congratulated Ichigo.

"I bet I beat my guy faster than you did." joked Ruby.

"I don't think so..." said Ichigo before they both passed out due to their injuries.

"Ruby, Ichigo!" cried Ganju, rushing to their aid, "Dammit, wake up you two numbskulls."

'Ruby and Ichigo.' thought Hanataro, 'They took on two lieutenants and won. They may be reckless, but they are crazy strong.'

Hanataro heard footsteps in the distance and noticed several shinigami heading to their position.

"We've got to get them out of here." cried Hanataro, "Reinforcements are on their way."

"You don't have to tell me twice." said Gaju, pulling both Ruby and Ichigo over his shoulder while Hanataro carried Zangetsu. They made their way to the nearest panel to the sewers and got out of sight just in time for making tracking them impossible.

Izuru arrived on the scene and was in shock to see Renji down on the ground in defeat. His followers immediately went to check on Renji and wake him up, but he was out cold.

"This can't be right!" gasped Izuru, "How could Renji be beaten?"

"There's another one."

Izruru looked behind him to see two of his members carrying another bloody shinigami. They laid him beside Renji and their shock grew. Not only was Renji was down, but Hisagi as well, and by the looks of it he had released his Zanpakuto.

"Two Lieutenants down!?"

"Lieutenant Hisagi defeated as well!?"

'How can this be?!' Izuru's thought, 'It is another for Renji to be defeated, but Hisagi alongside him? He's probably one of the strongest of the Vice-Captains, and together with Renji they should've been unstoppable. How is it possible they were both defeated?'

"Lieutenant," asked Izuru's subordinates, "what should we do?"

"Call for two stretchers." commanded Izuru, his voice shaken, "We have to get them to the barracks."

* * *

(At the barracks)

"This has to be a nightmare." gasped Momo, looking at the wounded bodies of Renji _and_ Shuhei on the floor before her.

"They were both defeated when we got to them." said Izuru, "I still can't believe it. Hisagi is one of our best, and those two working fighting side-by-side should've won. I doubt even if I got there I would've made a difference."

Izuru tightened his fist in rage. Who were these Rioka to be able best both of these lieutenants? They had to be complete monsters. For all they knew, wiping out Squad 11 was a cake walk for them. Suddenly, Momo's knees buckled and she buried her face in her palms.

Momo sobbed. "It's my fault. If I didn't ask Hisagi to go check on Renji, then he wouldn't be hurt."

"Don't say that." consoled Izuru, "If that's the case, then you should be thankful that they're both alive. For all we know, Hisagi is the reason Renji is still alive."

"If that is the case," said a familiar deep voice, "then Renji shouldn't be allowed to live."

Izuru and Momo turned around and their hearts skipped a beat. Before them was Captain Kuchiki.

"I order Renji to be taken to the barracks." Captain Kuchiki commanded coldly.

"What?" exclaimed Momo, "No, you can't do that. He'll die without medical treatment."

"Why you-"

"Momo!" cried Izuru, steadying Momo, "Forgive Momo's outburst. We are still - shocked at the current development."

"Make sure you do as I say quickly." said the captain walking away, "Renji's very sight offends me."

Before he used shunpo, Kuchiki glanced at Hisagi. He had to admire the lieutenant's skill, and it even shocked him a little of his defeat.

'It cannot have been just that Kurosaki.' thought Kuchiki, 'The only explanation is that there is at least another who is equally as strong, if maybe even stronger. And growing as well.'

"Cold as ice isnt' he?" said Ichimaru, making his presence known.

"Captain Ichimaru." greeted Momo.

"Don't worry about Renji." said Ichimaru, "I'll send a medical team to his prison cell on my behalf."

"Thank you." said Momo, trying to hide her deep thanks.

Ichimaru looked to Hisagi, and he couldn't help but think of the two strangers that came along with Ichigo. It seems that the girl has as much boundless potential as Ichigo if they took out two lieutenants of Renji and Shuhei's stature.

'I have to tell Aizen about this.' thought Ichimaru, walking away, 'This may interest him greatly.'

* * *

 **It was not easy stretching Ruby and Hisagi's fight like that. I'm still debating if I should make her fight Toshiru or not. But Ren will be facing off against Shusui to help Chad.**

 **Up next is Chapter 11.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	11. Recovery and Moving Forward

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 11: Recovery and Moving Forward**

Ichigo awoke still in pain with stitches all over his body. His vision cleared to see Hanataro wearing gloves as he tended to Ichigo's wounds with Kido. The wounds over his body were practically stapled shut so he could heal.

Ichigo flinched as his chest rose. Just breathing caused him so much pain.

"Where am I?" asked Ichigo.

"We're back underground." said Hanataro, "I've been spending all night healing both of your wounds."

"Concerning how both of them were beat up," added Ganju's voice, "you are some medic."

Ichigo ignored the pain of his body as he put strength into his arms. His left hand reached out and landed on something soft.

"I've gotta get going." said Ichigo.

Before Hanataro could interject, they both turned their attention to a soft moan. Ichigo found Ruby laying right beside him, shoulder-to-shoulder. His face went red with embarrassment and regret when he saw where his hand on Ruby's chest. Worst of all, Ruby was coming too.

"Ruby - I, uh." stuttered Ichigo, trying to come up an excuse, but it was too late. Ruby didn't say a word as her face went red with embarrassment and fury when she saw a hand where it wasn't supposed to be. Despite the pain, she raised a tightened fist and her eyes went to Ichigo, sending a chill through his body.

"Wait, wait, wait." panicked Ichigo, "I'm sorry."

"YOU DAMN IDIOT!" screamed Ruby, bringing down her fist as hard as she could. It hit Ichigo on the side of the head and hurled him to the wall. A big red bump was visible on the left side of his face. His fingers twitched, but his face was stuck in an awkward expression. The only sound that came out of his mouth was a soft moan as he fell back to the floor.

"Ow." winced Ruby, lying back down with her own share of wounds and stitches, "Everything hurts."

"Even a punch like that would knock me out." commented Ganju.

"Oh great." complained Hanataro, "Another wound to heal."

"Hey at least he isn't gonna try and go off." said Ichigo.

Eventually, Ruby went back to sleep to join with Ichigo to heal their injuries. As Hanataro tended to them, he looked behind him with a nervous mood. Laying next to each other were two masks. One was lip-less with sharp teeth and red stripes on its left side, and the other one had red tear marks going down the eyes and had canine teeth.

'Those masks I found in their shihakshos.' thought Hanataro, 'They must've absorbed the blows while fighting the lieutenants. But what are they to withstand a direct hit from a released Zanpkauto? Ichigo's looks like a hollow, but the other one has some similarities but isn't the same thing. What do they mean, you two?'

* * *

(Some time later)

Ichigo awoke with a startle. Sitting up was enough to spike pain throughout his body, but at least his wounds were closed. Ganju and Hanataro were asleep, but Ichigo saw Ruby awake sitting with her knees wrapped by her arms. She was wincing at the bandages that stitched the wounds in her shoulders and pouted seeing visible scars.

"Scars aren't that bad." said Ichigo, catching Ruby's attention.

Ruby glanced back at him with a surprised expression that quickly turned in an angry puff. Her cheeks flushed red remembering what happened a few hours ago.

"Oh, right." said Ichigo, "Sorry about that. I just woke up and I didn't realize you were next to me."

Ruby sighed. "It's okay. If my sister were here, on the other hand, you wouldn't be alive."

"That's," responded Ichigo with a sweatdrop down his neck, "reassuring."

Ruby turned away from her aimless gaze and focused on Ichigo.

"What were you saying about scars?" asked Ruby.

The question caught Ichigo off guard, but he soon composed himself as he thought of the answer.

"Scars mark the experiences in your life," explained Ichigo, "and they signify your growth in strength. The ones on your shoulders show your battle of fighting the most powerful foe yet, and you came out the strongest. They all tell a story, even as ugly as they seem."

"Must be some nasty scar I got." said Ruby, "My Aura can't even make it go away."

"About that." Ichigo noted, "That thing you did when we were practicing with the spirit cores. What did you do?"

Ruby chuckled. "I completely forgot that you don't know what Aura or Semblances. I unlocked your Aura, that's all. It's nothing like magic, but it is a lot like all this spiritual power and stuff. It's your soul's power that emanates around you to protect you from harm."

"So I basically have a force field around me." Ichigo concluded.

"Maybe." said Ruby unsure, "I'm not too good with the whole thing. I mean, I'm sure I did something because I studied the chant and everything."

"You're unbelievable." said Ichigo.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ruby, "Sorry, I can't be the smartest girl, okay. Talk to Ren about it when we see him again."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I forgot about him. You think he's okay?"

"Of course he is." answered Ruby, "He may seem a bit of a deadpan and sometimes unemotional, but Ren is a pretty determined guy who'll look after his friends. His fighting skills are, admittedly, better than mine at some levels. Put all that together, and I can't see him losing."

"I can say the same for Chad." added Ichigo.

"The big guy?" questioned Ruby, thinking how Yang would drool over someone who had that body and yet was around the same age.

"Yeah." said Ichigo, "I can still feel his spiritual pressure, no matter the distance between us. And I can't ever see him losing. He's just too strong and too determined to lose. I know that for a fact."

"He didn't give off the vibe of a fighter." noted Ruby.

"He really isn't." said Ichigo, "That's because he's so nice, he refuses to fight back for himself. That's how I met him after saving him from some thugs bullying him. I would never let a guy just let himself get beaten up senseless, even if he is big and tough."

Ruby smiled. "You're a pretty nice guy yourself then."

"I guess I am." said Ichigo, lying back down, "Get some rest. We're gonna need it after this."

Ruby didn't say a word as she rested softly on her back. Ichigo gave Ruby one last glance and he too fell asleep to heal his wounds.

* * *

(In the morning, elsewhere)

Ren and Chad found themselves in some sort of checkpoint. In a matter of minutes, the tens of shinigami present here were dealt with non-lethally, but painfully. This time they managed to keep some conscious, and the two deadpans (yes, Ren counts as one) went about interrogating each shinigami they found that could talk.

As Chad sent a shinigami with a monk's hairstyle flying, Ren tossed another shinigami after he was done with him. Chad noticed and glanced to his ally.

"Did you get anything?" asked Chad.

"Yeah." said Ren, "I asked about where Rukia Kuchiki is, and he said that she is in the repentance cell. Before I could ask anything else, he passed out."

"Hmm." Chad responded. He approached the shinigami who he just beatdown.

"I give!" cried the shinigami.

Chad picked the shinigami up by his collar and asked. "Where is the repentance cell?"

"How do you know about that?" exclaimed the shinigami.

"My friend over there asked another where Rukia Kuchiki was." Chad said, his eyes giving off a slight menace, "Tell me where the cell is while you're still awake. If you refuse, my friend over there has some... unorthodox mean we would rather not use."

"It's right there." said the shinigami, his finger pointing to his right. "The big tall white tower on the side of the mountain."

Chad couldn't see any lie in the shinigami's face. Ren gave him a nod, and Chad dropped him. As Chad ran ahead, the shinigami raised his sword and charged him down with his back. Unfortunately, he was not smart enough to remember about Ren.

The Huntsman flashed before the shinigami and caught his blade with his bare hands. His Aura shimmered slightly at his fingertips. Ren gave the shinigami a stone cold look, but the shingami was shaking head-to-toe. Chad went up and bent the blade in a 90 degree angle while Ren snapped it.

"AH!" screamed the shinigami, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I promise I won't do it again."

"Fine." said Chad flatly, making his way forward, "You coming, Ren?"

Ren stared at the shinigami with a curled lip, who shook under his eyes that gave off hatred.

"You took a vow of honor, did you not?" said Ren, his spiritual pressure brimming, rather burning, green around him, "And yet here you are, breaking those vows without a second thought. I thought this place was supposed to be heaven for the living world, but here I see the same wrongs from the real world."

Chad was a bit scared what Ren would do to the shinigami. Suddenly, Ren sent out a wordless Kido blast that ripped through the earth and made air cirlces in its wake. It obliterated the wall into dust, and left the shinigami forgetting how to breathe.

"Remember that the next time you betray those vows." said Ren and he continued on in fast pace with Chad.

"You seem to be getting stronger the longer we're here." noted Chad.

"I wouldn't say I'm getting stronger." said Ren, "It's more like I'm discovering myself. The more I use these powers, the more strength I find. It's like an unending reserve. It - kind of scares what my strength is at this point."

"I see." said Chad as the two made a turn and entered a checkpoint.

* * *

Ruby, Ichigo, Ganju, and Hanataro finally made it up the stairs. Their legs ached, except for Ruby and Ichigo thanks to Aura, but the exhaustion was still there.

"I'll say it." panted Ruby, "I hate stairs."

"Preach to the choir." added Ichigo.

They pressed forward at a more casual pace. Suddenly, it felt like gravity was tuned up. The air roared around them in the wake of this high pressure. Ganju and Hanataro were on their knees from the immense spiritual pressure. Only Ruby and Ichigo didn't seem affected, but their Auras shimmered around them to keep them safe.

"Woah." said Ruby, "It feels like something pushing on my neck."

"More like putting a blade to it." said Ichigo, a bit unnerved.

Ruby glanced at Ganju and Hanataro. The spiritual pressure was so high that their beads of sweat were going upwards instead of downwards. Their knees gave out and they collapsed on the ground.

"We have to move." cried Ichigo, "Obviously, there's someone around here we don't want to meet."

Even Ichigo and Ruby's legs felt heavy under this spiritual pressure. Ruby dared not use her Semblance fearing her legs would snap from the massive force pushing down on them. No matter the distance they made among the high towers they couldn't make any headway from this spiritual pressure.

Hanataro collapsed and Ganju was forced to carry him over his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" exclaimed Ichigo.

"We're fine." said Ganju, "You two have got to keep going."

High above them sat Captain Zaraki, the source of this spiritual pressure. His hair was spiked which ended with bells, and in his right hand was a sword with a chipped edge.

"Four of them." said Kenpachi, "Which is the one?"

He overlooked Hanataro and Ganju seeing how weak their spiritual pressures were. Kenpachi would've gazed over Ruby, but his eyes stopped in shock.

"Those two." Kenpachi noted Ruby and Ichigo, "Their spiritual pressures are on par, and they are strong. Fantastic."

Ichigo suddenly felt a presence just inches from his neck. He could feel the raw violence and blood-thirstiness from it. He turned his entire body around to see the shadow of a person standing on a towers high above them. The orange-head couldn't breath and Ruby was unnerved by how still he was.

"What's the matter with you?" demanded a deep voice, "How long are you gonna keep staring there?"

Whoever it was, that voice was between Ruby and Ichigo. Before they could turn around, they suddenly froze from the pain of fear that literally stabbed through their chests. It was only for a second, but the sensation lingered.

"What," gasped Ruby, "the hell - was that?!"

'Could the intent to kill,' thought Ichigo, clutching his chest, 'have that much power?'

Ruby and Ichigo finally faced the man that stood between them. He had an eye-patch over his right eye and his clothes were not in the best condition with rips and tears. He had this constant smirk on his face, and Ruby could notice sharp teeth in the back of his mouth.

"I'm the captain of Squad 11," the captain introduced, "Kenpachi Zaraki, and I challenge you, Ichigo Kurosaki, a fight to the death."

Ichigo was silent in thought. He remembered that Yoruichi told them to exclusively avoid any fights with captains.

"Are you deaf or something?" said Kenpachi, "I just challenged you to a fight to the death. After I'm done with you..." Kenpachi turned to Ruby, "... you're next."

Ruby's hand unconsciously reached for her Zanpakuto as soon as those vicious eyes landed on her.

"Why me?" asked Ruby, her voice a little shaky.

"Silver eyes and a red hood." noted Kenpachi, "That's what my daughter described the one who defeated her. I cannot wait to see how much fun we'll have."

'Pyrrha's adopted father?!' thought Ruby, 'So this is the guy that turned her into that?'

Ruby's attitude changed dramatically from fear to sheer rage. In the blink of an eye, Ruby drew out her Zanpakuto and rushed down Kenpachi to cut him down.

"Monster!" cried Ruby, "You're the one who ruined Pyrrha!"

Instead of steel cutting into flesh, steel clashed against steel. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a petite pink-haired shinigami girl with her own Zanpakuto intersecting Ruby's strike. But she heavily underestimated Ruby's fury and power. Her increased reiatsu gave her enhanced strength and Ruby sent the girl through a couple of towers like she was batting a ball.

Kenpachi was unfazed by Ruby's display of power. Out from the rubble the girl reappeared and hopped to Kenpachi's feet. She was bruised with a cut on her cheek, but to Ruby and Ichigo's shock there wasn't anything too serious.

The girl shook her head to get dirt out of her hair. "Redhead is really strong."

"That was just stupid." said Kenpachi.

"What the hell are you, you pink twerp?" exclaimed Ichigo.

The girl giggled. "My name is Yachiru Kusajishi, and I'm the lieutenant of Squad 11. It's nice of you to ask. Thanks."

"You're a lieutenant?!" exclaimed Ruby, "Y-You're so tiny."

"Hey Ganju.' said Ichigo, "Get Hanataro up and go on ahead. You save Rukia. I'll deal with these two."

Ganju was going to protest, but he knew he was no difference in this fight. Without a word, he grabbed Hanataro and bolted down the path.

"You too Ruby." said Ichigo without looking at her.

"I can fight too-"

"Ruby!" exclaimed Ichigo, "You have to listen to me. With your speed, you can keep them safe and save Rukia." Ichigo gave Ruby a smile. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with you."

After a hesitance in her motion Ruby ran after Hanataro and Ganju in her Semblance.

"Don't die on me." Ruby prayed.

The red riding hood teenager disappeared after the rose petals of her Semblance fell to the floor.

"Aww." whined Yachiru, "There goes the other strong one, Kenny."

"Doesn't matter." said Kenpachi, "I'll chase her down after I fight this one."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you follow them." stated Ichigo, his right hand gripping onto Zangetsu.

"You don't understand, do you?" said Kenpachi, "I've waited for you in the hopes that I get to have a decent fight. I have no interest in those two weaklings, and your mission to free that Rukia. My only desire is you and that girl in the red hood."

"Is that so?" said Ichigo. The cloth of Zangetsu unraveled as Ichigo swung it over his shoulder and took a stance. Blue reiatsu brimmed off of him, so much that the ground cracked and pebbles floated up in his wake.

* * *

"Coming through!" cried Ruby to Ganju. She couldn't slow herself and rammed into Ganju full force, causing Hanataro to loosen from his grip and tumble to the ground.

"Hey!" outraged Ganju, "What's the big idea running into me like that?! It's bad enough that I have Hanataro squirming on my shoulder."

"Sorry." groaned Ruby, rubbing her head, "C'mon, we gotta keep moving while Ichigo takes care of those two."

When Hanataro heard those words, he snapped out of his dizziness and turned to Ganju and Ruby.

"No we can't." cried Hanataro, "We have to go back and help Ichigo."

Ruby's eyes widened. "But he said he could handle them."

"Are you crazy?!" cried Hanataro, "By himself?! He can't. He has to run or else he'll die."

"Settle down." said Ganju. Ruby was just at a loss of words.

"You don't understand." said Hanataro, "Ichigo can't win. It's impossible. He's facing off against Captain Zaraki. The name Kenpachi is passed down to the ones who crave fighting. It mean that they are monsters who can never go down no matter the injury. He can't die. He's invincible. If Ichigo fights him, he'll die surely by his hands."

"In that case-"

Suddenly, the winds swept passed them and they looked back to see Ruby running back. Fear filled her eyes and carried her steps. As soon as she heard all that, Ruby's only thought was to go there and save him. The odds of this fight reminded Ruby of Pyrrha's useless efforts against Cinder. There was no way Ruby could handle losing a friend like that again.

'Ichigo, you idiot.' thought Ruby, 'I won't let you die. I'll make it this time. I promise.'

* * *

 **Ruby and Ichigo in this fanfiction are more closer to the power levels of captains since they both have their Aura unlocked. As for Ren, he should be more on Ichigo's level after his battle against Kenpachi so he can fight Shunsui, but even then it should be obvious of the victor then.**

 **Up next is Chapter 12.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	12. All of My Might

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 12: All of My Might**

Ruby arrived at the place she assumed Ichigo would be fighting. The only thing that was left were signs of a minor skirmish. To Ruby's relief, there was no blood or a body. As she looked around her, Ruby realized the below at the feet of these towers she was a complete ant in a maze.

'Up it is.' thought Ruby.

Ruby unsealed Mazazoru without a word. With the muzzle aimed behind her, Ruby planted her feet against the vertical wall. While keeping her velocity and using the recoil with concussive reishi shots, Ruby ascended to the top of the forest of towers in a short moment. The view took her breath away. The Sereitei, despite being the smallest part according to Yoruichi, expanded literally as far as the eye could see. Definitely not even Vale could come close to the sheer scale. And everything felt smaller to her now that she was so high up to take a full scope of the city. Even the wall was so far away that Ruby had to squint to even see it.

Then, Ruby came back from her awe to focus on her objective: save Ichigo. Even if she can't see Ichigo or Kenpachi, being able to leap from tower to tower gave her the advantage of mobility. A pink blur passed her vision after jumping a few towers. She turned around to find the toddler Yachiru.

Those blushed cheeks and dimples would fool any bystander as an innocent girl. Ruby wasn't going to fall to such a deception, and her eyes could sense a thirst for blood as much as her captain. The lieutenant looked to Ruby with a wide grin, but Ruby did not lower her guard.

"Hi, Red." said Yachiru, "Just wait your turn. Kenny is still fighting Ichi, and he's having fun. Ichi couldn't even be cut for some reason."

Ruby knew what that meant. She escaped a sigh in relief that Ichigo was still alive. In fact, Ruby was proud that Ichigo's Aura finally manifested to the point it naturally protected him. Maybe Ichigo could win this, wherever he was.

Actually, Ruby was having second thoughts why she wanted to save Ichigo all of a sudden. They spent five days trading blows against each other, and she knew his skill and power like Crescent Rose. With the added power of Aura, Ichigo could totally win. So why did she go after him to help?

'What the heck is wrong with my brain?' thought Ruby, a strange heat on her cheeks.

There was a flutter in her chest, and it made her sick. She thought she was going to throw up until a sweet smell reached her nostrils. A smell she never thought she would smell again. A smell that held a special place in her heart and soul.

Ruby turned to the source to find Yachiru somehow brought out platters of freshly made cookies and snacked on them. Her mouth started to drool at the sweetness just a few feet away from her mouth. She loomed over to the little spot of heaven like a ghost, her eyes in a trance.

"Gimme." moaned Ruby.

"Huh?" responded Yachiru.

"Gimme," moaned Ruby, more aggressive, "cookies."

Yachiru pouted. "No! They are my snack to watch Kenny fighting."

"Gimme a cookie!" demanded Ruby.

"No!" denied Yachiru with a leer.

"Gimme!" snarled Ruby, her spiritual pressure rising with her anger, "Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" snapped Yachiru, her own spiritual pressure rising.

They devolved into growling at each other like dogs, and the air around them became a storm of their clashing spiritual pressures trying to overtake the other. The stalemate lasted for about thirty seconds. In a burst of her Semblance, Ruby snatched a platter of cookies and instantly downed them. A more than satisfied expression glowed on her face as she savored the sweet taste.

Yachiru was in shock. Her right brow twitched and her aura of innocence shed away to her true personality. No one stole her snacks. Like an animal, Yachiru pounced onto Ruby pulling her hair. As soon as Ruby dropped to the floor, they rolled around trading blows in a comical fashion with superficial injuries.

"Red hooded pig."

"Stingy pinky."

"Snack thief."

"Cookie hogger."

"Skinny ugly."

"Spoiled brat."

As their comical fight waged on, a more serious fight to the death still raged on for poor Ichigo, running for his life. He managed to hide behind a tower after barely ducking under Kenpachi's blade. After five swings from his sword, Ichigo felt his Aura completely shatter and all he had left was his raw spiritual pressure, but the Squad 11 captain's a complete monster.

He looked up and to his shock he found Ruby... fighting wouldn't be the word to describe it. It looked more like a physical argument. Ichigo bit his lips in annoyance and anger.

'Dammit Ruby, I told you to go after Rukia.' thought Ichigo, "More importantly, why aren't you helping me?!'

* * *

Chad and Ren entered a flat ground where a checkpoint with a gate and tower stood in front of them. The area looked like a training ground as the walls distance from each other made it perfect for spars. They ran several paces before Ren stopped himself. He felt a massive spiritual pressure that was with them at this very moment. It made the composed Huntsman develop a sweatdrop on his cheek. He disappeared with shunpo and stopped Chad with a hand.

"What is it?" asked Chad, revealing his eyes from his hair.

"Someone is here." answered Ren, "Someone strong."

They took a more casual, yet slow pace to the gate that lay opened to the rest of the path to the white tower. A rain of cherry blossom petals halted them suddenly. From above silently came down a man in a cherry blossom kimono as light as a feather. When he revealed his face from his straw hat, Chad and Ren were met with a man in his late 30s with a smile on his face.

"Greetings you two." introduced the shinigami, "I am Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of Squad 8. May I ask who you are?"

Chad and Ren glanced at each other for a moment. They couldn't get a vibe off of this captain, and it sort of frightened them of the unknown. Meanwhile, the rain of petals did not stop and even quickened in pace. He looked up, and the two Rioka followed his gaze to find his lieutenant, a regular woman with glasses, holding a woven bowl of it and throwing the petals. She had an annoyed expression on her face.

"Nanao dear that is flattering," said Shunsui, "but you can stop now with the flower petals. Hey, can you even hear me up the-"

To all three of their shock, Nanao completely dumped all of the petals onto Shunsui, burying him in a pile. Once his head poked through, she threw down the bowl with such precision that it knocked off his straw hat and replaced it with the bowl. Chad felt a sweatdrop down his neck, and Ren just cringed at the sight.

"I," muttered Ren, "don't think we have to worry about giving away introductions."

Shunsui picked himself up and got back his straw hat. "Ah, where was I? Oh yeah, would you be so kind to tell me your names?"

"Chad." answered Chad.

"Lie Ren." said Ren, reaching for his swords.

Nanao jumped from the balcony next to the captain. Ren could feel her very stare was drilling a cold drill through his head. It was the exact opposite the kind of look Yang would give you with her red eyes.

"Sorry sir, but," said Chad, "my friend and I don't have time to stay and watch your routine. Please just step aside."

Seeing that calm and careless expression on the captain's face was making Ren nervous. He only seen that kind of face from Ruby's Uncle Qrow, regarded as one of the finest Huntsmen in Remnant. And this captain was just like that ascended to a higher level. His hands already were reaching for his Kakkushifokkussu dual bayonets just to be prepared.

"No need to be so serious." said Shunsui, and Ren knew he was eyeing his hand motions to his blades, "Can't you loosen up a little? Life's too short to take it so seriously."

Behind that deadpan look, Ren could see Chad getting impatient with the situation. Ren himself was beginning to notice the sweat drops that beaded his neck sensing the captain's spiritual pressure, but he stood strong.

"I've asked you nicely." said Chad, "We're in kind of a hurry. You seem a decent enough guy, so please let us pass so we can avoid any conflict."

"Yes." added Ren, "Upon coming here, we never meant you or the Soul Society any harm. We do not come here to invade, but you've forced our hand in the matter."

Shunsui's smile faltered. "Then it appears we have a slight problem. Neither one of us wants any conflict, but I'm under direct orders to not let you pass. Why don't you just retreat?"

"We've come so far to go back as it is." answered Ren.

"I thought as much." replied Shunsui. His hand reached for something in his kimono, and Ren tensed up ready for an attack. Instead, he brought out a jug, and when he placed it down with a thud, there was a muffled splash in it. Then he brought out three drinking plates. "We'll have to have a friendly drink."

All that tension shattered like glass around them. Chad's eyes widened for the first time Ren has ever seen them.

'Yep.' thought Ren, 'Definitely a nice Unlce Qrow.'

"Come on." said Shunsui, pouring himself a drink, "Just relax. Better to rest than fight. After all, this will all be over since us captains."

"Wait!" exclaimed Ren, another sweatdrop going down his cheek, "There are other captains after us!?"

Ren's thoughts were more frantic. 'Then that means Ichigo and Ruby are in danger. I don't know if I could beat this guy on my own.'

"That changes things, Kyoraku." said Chad, in the most subtle menacing tone Ren has ever heard, "So I asking you again to move aside."

"Or?" asked Shunsui, raising the little plate to his mouth.

"I'll move you!" growled Chad, pulling his arm back.

"NO WAIT!" warned Ren.

It was too late. Chad fired a blast from his fist aimed perfectly at Shunsui. The look in his eyes didn't change as he raised a hand and quite literally swatted it away into a wall. The best he did against the captain was blowing away his pink kimono. Ren and Chad stood in shock, but quickly gained back their composure.

"That's too bad." said Shunsui, drinking his sake and standing up, "I had hoped we could avoid all this."

Chad went on a full-powered assault against the captain. For every punch he fired, a trail of destruction soon lay before him. The captain wasn't putting any effort of dodging every one of Chad's attacks. He still even had his little plate of sake in his hand, and not a drop fell to the ground. His lieutenant did not interfere.

Ren couldn't move. Just seeing the captain so calm as Chad was unleashing all his strength was a terrible sight. It only added to the immense spiritual pressure he felt from Shunsui. Perhaps his lieutenant wasn't a problem, but Shunsui hadn't even drawn his swords.

'Why can't I move?' thought Ren, his legs stuck to the ground, 'Maybe if we can work together, we might have a chance to overwhelm. I may match his speed, but I've gotta move dammit.'

Shunsui used shunpo to dodge another attack and appeared at Chad's side. He whispered some words into his ear, and brought up two fingers to "poke" Chad in the shoulder.

'Now is my chance!' thought Ren. He bit his tongue, hard enough to jolt some pain through his body and get himself moving. One of the dual bayonets went to his right hand, and his spiritual pressure broke through the captain's own. It also drew Shunsui's attention to the newcomer.

At last second, Shunsui drew out one of his Zanpakuto blades, in a sealed state to parry Ren's surprise attack. The attack held more force that it slid Shunsui away gathering a cloud of dust in his wake. Nanao seemed concerned to intervene, but a raised hand from her captain stopped her.

Shunsui looked to Ren with a smile. "Impressive. I was actually focusing my spiritual pressure to keep you down. I can tell you're far more dangerous than your friend here, but it is quite astounding that you broke through and caught me in the middle of my attack. Quite the bit of power and added with refined speed too. I'd say you would give most of the lieutenants a run for it."

Ren said nothing as he held his dueling bayonet in a reverse grip. He wouldn't resort to his left bayonet, not until he learned more of Shunsui's movements. Then, an idea hatched into Ren's head.

"Chad," said Ren, "I'm closer to his speed. While I lock him down, you charge in whatever opening I give you."

Chad nodded and pulled his right fist back. Ren used shunpo to use his opening by thrusting his bayonet aimed for Shunsui's chest. The captain simply sidestepped out of the way, but Chad rushed in with his jet black arm burning with blue reiatsu. The captain's look didn't change as he flipped over his fist.

"I commend the team effort, but it is very out of sync." said Shunsui.

"As long as one of us can hit you." said Ren, now just starting to keep an eye of Shunsui's movements. He aimed two fingers and the shinigami could sense a rise in reiatsu at the fingertips. Shunsui raised his blade in time to deflect a wordless bolt of Byakurai lightning that deflected off the blade into a wall. The moment his feet planted the floor he used shunpo to gain neutral distance.

'Kido!?' thought Nanao with shock.

"That's some impressive Kido talent." Shunsui complimented, "And you're also a dual wielder like Juushiro and myself. Makes us feel we aren't so alone in the Soul Society. It is quite a shame that you are not one of us."

"I tend not to use both my blades from the start." said Ren.

Shunsui vanished in just pure speed. Ren just barely dodged to the side from a horizontal slash. He accidentally bumped into Chad, who was having a harder time keeping track of the captain's movements. A flow of a shihaksho caught Ren's eyes before the Rioka both felt a needle-thin sting to their stomachs that sent them tumbling across the ground.

'Ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow...ow.' Ren groaned inwardly after each tumble, 'Where's gravity when you need it? Only Nora could answer that.'

Ren bit his lip in pain. That "poke" combined with the unnaturally long bumps along the ground had crippled his Aura, and left his body aching all over. His vision started to get blurry as he receded out of consciousness. He fought against it as he saw a blurry Chad rise to the ground. Everything was ringing preventing Ren from hearing their conversation. Then his vision went black.

* * *

 _Ren's Inner World_

Ren opened his eyes lying in a pool of water, the very same of his inner world. The sky was a sad gray, and was at the point that the clouds would burst down rain and flood the forests in the distance. Kakushifokkusu stood in front of his legs with a down look in its blue eyes. The two blue flames were more dim than before.

"Are really going down because of slight exhaustion?" said Kukushifokkusu, "Is that how you are going to give up?"

Ren tried to straighten himself up, but his body felt like the literal weight of the world was on top of him, and his breath was ragged and broken.

"Look at how pitiful you are, Lie Ren." said Kakushifokkusu, its tone blank, "Do you just intend to lay your body down for a moment's rest knowing full well your allies - your friends - are risking their lives? Is that how you want to protect them? If not, then ignore the screams of your body, get up, and face the enemy that dare come your way."

Ren bit his lip, his resolve made in an instant. "I will!"

"Then prove it to me." said the Zanpakuto.

Ren's teeth smashed down like a bear trap and slammed down a fist on the pool of water. The strain was so hard on his body to get up, but he would not let down an inch until he was up. The more Ren arose, the more sky opened up to the sun. Among the pain was a rush of energy Ren never imagined existed. In all that grueling pain, he dared not let out even an exclaim of pain leave his lips. Once Ren was on his feet, all that pain was replaced by an overwhelming rush, stronger than before. The fox Zanpakuto looked up to him, but its master could tell it was smiling proudly.

 _Run, and you will die. Rest, and you will never come back up. Face your foes with all your might, and make them rue the day and fear our name. Pierce through all resistance till there is nothing left!_

* * *

Chad has fallen, barely alive in his own pool of blood. Despite the orders, Shusui deeply hated harming these Rioka. On first glance, they had no ill will toward the Soul Society itself. If the tables were different, Shunsui would've supported them in their quest to save Rukia. The best he could do for them is save them from his trigger-happy lieutenant.

'What a damn shame.' thought Shunsui.

Then, the air became heavy even to the captain's standards. That meant without a doubt there was a spiritual pressure on par with his own, and closer than he would've liked. Nanao was on her knees, her face contorted with strain rather than shock. The source came from Ren, who started to rise himself up from the ground with green reiatsu burning off of him like an inferno. Shunsui was shocked by the amount of reiatsu a simple human hardly two decades old could muster up this much power. And to add shock and a bit of joy, Ren drew out his other bayonet into his left hand.

Ren held the dual blades over each other vertically and then smashed their hilts together with a snap. The steel of the blades bended toward Ren and a string of gold reishi connected each tip of the blades, and now formed a bow of green steel.

 **"Kakushi Tsume."**

Shunsui felt immense spiritual pressure rising as Ren pulled the bow back and an arrow of gold reishi formed much like a Quincy's bow, and the captain even felt to release his Zanpakuto to meet the young man in truth.

Shunsui smiled, though it was a solemn one. "You are one extraordinary kid, Lie Ren."

As soon as Shunsui readied his feet to dash the distance between them, Ren's arrow glowed brighter now fully drawn.

 **"Teirubisuto: Aro."**

The arrow was faster than any dodge with shunpo was impossible. At point of impact, there was clap of steel, then the arrow piercing through leaving devastation in its wake till it exploded in the light of the sun a good distance away. Several buildings sunk into a crater made by the arrow's impact.

"I stood up." groaned Ren at the point of exhaustion.

Suddenly, Ren felt a sharp pain in his side. He was too dazed to hear the sound of steel ripping through flesh, but he coughed out blood. Behind him was Shunsui with a frown on his face and his left blade covered in Ren's blood. With a groan of pain, Ren fell back to the ground, this time in defeat.

"You're not bad at all, Lie Ren." said Shunsui, as his own blood dripped from his right arm, which held his right blade that was broken to the hilt. It took all his full might just to prevent that arrow from running him through, and it costed him his right blade. Now that Ren's spiritual pressure was lifted, Nanao was free to walk without being crushed.

"As I was saying," said Shunsui, sheathing both swords, "call Squad 4 to provide aid to these two."

Nanao nodded and turned to the Rioka. Beside Ren was a black cat looking over him. When Shunsui saw it, his eyes squinted with suspicion and noticed an all-too familiar look in those yellow eyes.

"Yoru-"

Before he could finish, the cat glowed in blue bright light, and Ren and the cat were both gone without a single trace. Shunsui was so stunned that his jaw was hanging a bit more loosely than it should.

"Nanao," said Shunsui, "how much did I drink today?"

"Not enough to imagine that." said Nanao, her eyes wide with disbelief.

* * *

Somewhere in a hideout in a mountain, the black cat known as Yoruichi stood over Ren lying under a green blanket. _She_ just managed to get the bandages on before Ren lost too much blood than he would live without. Out of the whole group, Ren was far below the list of idiots to be dumb enough to fight a captain instead of running for it.

'A fool to the end.' thought Yoruichi, 'But a strong one at that. It seems conflict with the captains is unavoidable. That only leaves one thing I can teach you three.'

* * *

 **####ing finally! I've been buried in schoolwork, and that isn't counting getting my application set up for college. I missed this.**

 **Up next is Chapter 13.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	13. Battles with Kenpachi!

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **Chapter 13: Battles with Kenpachi!**

Ruby and Yachiru were continuing their little skirmish. Yachiru climbed up to Ruby's head, either pulling or biting her hair. Ruby countered slamming down Yanchiru onto the ground. With her Semblance, Ruby dashed away to gain distance and use hit-and-run tactics. At least that's what she planned until the two locked in dust cloud throwing each other punches and names.

"Pink devil."

"Red meanie."

"Greedy toddler."

Ruby managed to get behind Yachiru and pull her pink cheeks. Yachiru cried in agony before butting back her head to hit Ruby's nose. She just recovered fast enough to hold Yachiru back by the collar bone. Despite her petite size, Yachiru proved just as strong as Ruby, a teenager in her early sixteenth year. The girl shinigami opened up her mouth to bite at Ruby's hand, but was a little late on the matter. Her right hand that reached for Ruby suddenly spiked in pain. Down the arm, her lips curled in a painful expression as Ruby beat her to the punch and bit on her hand hard.

"OWIEE!" yelled Yachiru, "I was-"

Yachiru didn't finish when Ruby kicked both legs into Yachiru's stomach. She gasped as wind left her lungs. Then, Ruby followed with a high, side kick across Yachiru's cheek, then Ruby finished with a clothesline with her arm, but also received a punch to the chin from Yachiru to make that final blow an exchange instead. The little Yachiru hit like a Bullhead on collision course, but this isn't the same Ruby from Remnant. Instead of peeling over from the pain and a shattered Aura, her power still shimmered strong around her and a smirk marked her face.

"Sorry," said Ruby, wiping her lip from a slight sting of pain, "but - there can only be one who eats the cookies."

Ruby went full-out, using a combination of her Semblance and shunpo to completely overwhelm, and punished with the hand-to-hand combat taught by (Yoruichi) Shihoin. She was amazed that woman managed to drill more combat into Ruby than even Ozpin could in a month.

Ruby blinked around Yachiru, throwing impressively hard kicks and punches from all angles. Not even the petite shinigami's instinctual reaction speed could keep up. Yachiru found her feet lifted off the air by an uppercut then further sent into the air by a strong kick. She jumped higher and faster than Yachiru ascended in a cloud of rose petals and came down like a crimson twister.

"Here's a beatdown for the win," cried Ruby, the twister crashing upon Yachiru with a thunderclap, "Red Flash style."

Ruby rammed Yachiru and the top of the tower crumbled in dust. Bits of rubble flew everywhere, and the top half nearly broke apart. The scythe-wielder's coughs could be heard through the dust as she tried to fan the settling dust away from her breath. At her feet was an unconscious Yachiru with a only bruising and her eyes a pair of squiggles.

"Serves you right, cookie hogger." said Ruby, then looked down sensing Ichigo's amazing spiritual pressure. Just sensing it made Ruby feel she was wrapped in a warm blanket and promised nothing but protection.

"Ichigo, I'm-"

She stopped dead when that warmth suddenly disappeared, leaving Ruby cold to the air and it felt like her own heart was stabbed. Her gaze automatically went to the dimming pressure, and her silver eyes widened. Right below her was Ichigo and Kenpachi, the latter with hardly any severe wounds. The captain stabbed his sword through Zangetsu and struck Ichigo in the lung almost impaling him. He collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood while Kenpachi walked away with a bored expression.

Ruby's heart drummed in her head. Tears swelled in her eyes and her knees buckled. She was too late to save someone yet again.

'Just like Pyrrha.' thought Ruby, 'I just want to protect people, but I can't save my closest friends even. Why? Why am I so weak? Why? Why?! WHY!?'

Summer became alarmed at Ruby's rising spiritual pressure and silver light flowed out of Ruby's eyes. Her sorrow turned into rage if one could pierce through the blinding light.

 _'Ruby,'_ cried Summer, _'You must calm down. If you lose control, you'll lose too much strength.'_

Ruby couldn't hear her mother as she cried her thoughts out in a screech. "WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHYYY!?"

A massive pillar of silver reiatsu ascended into the sky like a beacon across the Sereitei. Its pressure not only caught Kenpachi's attention, but also alarmed every shinigami of Soul Society to spare a long glance in the direction of the spiritual pressure. It was unlike anything they have ever felt, and it frightened them as though the wrath of god was upon them.

* * *

(Repentance Cell)

Rukia's sorrowful trance was broken into a look of shock. She stared out the small window in her cell. Even in the walls of the tower that were supposed to block out spiritual pressure, she could feel it so much that her knees shook.

"What is this incredible spiritual pressure?" Rukia voiced out her thoughts, "It isn't Ichigo or even Kenpachi's. Who is this?"

Then, her eyes widened at the pillar of light just to the left. Its light was so bright, it made the sun in the sky pale in comparison, and illuminated more of her cell.

* * *

(Division One Barracks)

A man with a cane with eyebrows as long as his white mustache opened his eyes the widest they've been for a few centuries as he sensed an immeasurable spiritual pressure. It was neither a hollow or even a Quincy, but it was a mix of two unknowns with the reiatsu of a shinigami. That much he knew, and unknowns did not go well with the old man.

* * *

(Central 46)

In a pile of bodies and dried blood on the floor, former Captains Ichimaru and Aizen suddenly turned their attention to a source of unknown reiatsu that was so massive it must've caught the attention of the whole Sereitei. In the wake of it, Aizen made a smile.

"So that's the anomaly you mentioned, isn't it Gin?" said Aizen, "How interestingly - exciting."

* * *

(Back at the fight)

"I'll..." Ruby snarled through the bright light that surrounded her, "I'll kill you!"

With the released Mazazoru in hand, Ruby went in a berserk charge after Kenpachi. All she could see was white, but it brought her relief to feel her scythe cut cleanly into Kenpachi's flesh. A splash of blood rained out of Kenpahi's side where Ruby slashed, and her blade soaked in blood. She was sure she had cut to the bone of the ribs and hoped the bastard was dead.

'At least I can ave-'

Ruby's thoughts were cut off when Ruby's reflexes saved her from a powerful swing from the mighty Kenpachi Zaraki who smiled like a devil. The sharp teeth in the back of his mouth could mistake him for a Faunas.

"That wasn't bad at all." said Kenpachi, "Very good. I'm all ready for round two, and you seem much stronger than that disappointment over there."

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" snarled Ruby.

Ruby bit her lip in fury that would make Yang shake head-to-toe. With a cry, she swung scythe so fast and heavy, it caused a clap akin to thunder on Kenpachi's blade. Each swing became stronger and slower than the previous. Ruby's vision became red, and her only thought was to put this man in the ground with her own hands.

One swing was so strong Kenpachi's blade shook. The next one made his sword arm shake, making his eyes widen. He knew the next ones would completely break his guard. As predicted, a heavy swing of Mazazoru forced Kenpachi's blade from a defensive position. Smiling, Kenpachi used his free hand to punch Ruby in the face and send her flying into a wall. Her Aura was completely gone to provide her the raw offensive power. When Ruby came flying out of the dust, a trickle of blood dripped from a corner of her mouth and a nostril.

Ruby returned similar punishment with a knee to Kenpachi's chest. Once a foot made contact with the ground, Ruby balanced herself and punched Kenpachi in the gut with all she had. It felt like she punched solid iron, but she didn't care, and followed up with a sniper shot of reishi from Mazazoru.

Whatever Kenpachi was apparently made of, it only left a flesh wound on Kenpachi's stomach. That smile of his somewhat faltered when he looked back at Ruby with a look of disappointment.

"Why the heck are you crying in the middle of a fight?" Kenpachi growled.

Ruby didn't realize the river of tears almost evaporating from the heat of her activated silver eyes before dripping to the ground.

"I wanted to save people." said Ruby, "That's always been my calling, but everyone around me just dies no matter how hard I try. I-I'm done with it." Ruby's right eye lost the white of its eyes, replaced by a dark night with a deep red replacing the pupil. "That's why I'll take yours instead!"

Ruby put all her strength into her feet to rush down Kenpachi and cleave him in two. She would've launched off if a familiar over-sized meat cleaver didn't stop Mazazoru. The darkness in Ruby's right eye disappeared as she stared speechless at Zangetsu, following up to a familiar arm then finally to a head of orange hair. Stern yet also sad eyes stared back at Ruby's where tears stopped finding Ichigo, alive and well.

"Don't be like that, Ruby." said Ichigo, almost in a pleading manner, "Where's that sparkle in your eyes?"

Ruby couldn't help herself, even if it was in the middle of a fight. She dug her face in Ichigo's shihaksho to dry her tears from her sobbing.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ichigo, half-trying to get Ruby off, "Seriously, Ruby!? I-"

"Don't die on me, okay!" demanded Ruby with a sobbing tone, "I simply can't bare it if it was my fault again that someone died because I wasn't fast enough."

Ichigo understood the plight Ruby was in. His tense stance eased down, and he put a hand on her head.

"No way in hell I'm dying." said Ichigo with an assuring look, "Neither of us are as long as I have something to say about it."

Ruby pulled back with more control of her emotions now finally letting all of that tension out. Her right eye returned to its silver glory, and the tears stopped flowing. Her game face was brought back.

"You two done yet?" said Kenpachi, still keeping that wide smile, "Fine then, I'll take you both on! Come on!"

(Que "Get Ready to Die")

Ichigo and Ruby raised their Zanpakuto in opposition to the captain. Without a word, they blurred in speed. Ichigo made the spearhead and brought the first slash across Kenpachi's shoulder. Ichigo followed-up with a heavy upper-swing and Kenpachi just had enough strength to deflect it away. But it made him wide open for Ruby to slash back and forth in less than a second, crimson flowing from his sides. Finally, Ichigo put in a heavy swing that sliced into Kenpachi's shoulder again and the force was enough to knock him back. He anchored his Zanpakuto into the the wall of a tower to steady himself. But what still unnerved the two Rioka was that constant smile on Kenpachi's face.

"Oh yes." snarled Kenpachi, "This is good. I want more of this."

"You're enjoying this more than I'm comfortable with." said Ruby.

"You gotta shut up and get lost in the rush of the fight!" roared Kenpachi, his spiritual pressure rising so high it screeched through the air. He dove at the two Rioka head on, laughing as he did. Ichigo took the opening and slashed at his face, but the madman only grinned more at the wound and left Ichigo open to get it a cut at his cheek. Ruby was so distracted by Kenpachi's insanity as he took a giant Zangetsu to the face that she barely dodged out of the way from getting her head cut off. The price she paid was getting a deep cut that hit her collar bone, but nothing too deep.

"Ruby!" cried Ichigo in worry. Despite the pain, Ruby gave Ichigo a reassuring nod. Zangetsu and the captain's Zanpakuto clashed, and Ichigo slashed at Kenpachi's torso. He ignored it and used that as a way to get at Ichigo with a downward slash, which Ichigo was more prepared to dodge. Kenpachi then turned to Ruby and smiled seeing her charge her scythe ready.

To her utter shock, Kenpachi allowed the girl to cut into his body. The rush of pain brought him so much joy. With Ruby too stunned to stop her motion, Kenpachi took the opportunity to grip his Zanpakuto with two hands and slash it down Ruby's back. A wave of crimson washed out of the wound, paling her cloak in comparison.

Ichigo was so shocked he couldn't get the words out right. He gripped Zangetsu ready to attack with a vengeance until he saw Ruby stop her fall with Mazazoru and shoot a ballistic bullet of reishi that pushed Kenpachi away.

"I can," said Ruby, coughing blood, "I...will...keep... fighting."

Ichigo could tell that her own Zanpakuto was providing power as he saw the bleeding stop. That also meant they didn't have the time to keep fighting this maniac for long with both of their shinigami spirits already putting in all the effort to seal their wound.

"This guy hits like an Atlas craft crashing down filled with nothing but Fire Dust." said Ruby. They nodded in silent agreement and charged forth.

"If that's the case," roared Ichigo, the two slashing so fast at Kenpachi they painted the walls crimson, "we're just gonna have to cut him over-"

"-and over-" cried Ruby.

"-and over until this guy drops dead!" added Ichigo. They made a cross-slash appear on Kenpachi's chest, and they knew they must've cut to the bone. In apprehension, they jumped back and their fears were correct as Kenpahi bursted with laughter.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" laughed Kenpachi for all of Sereitei to hear, "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

"Please stop laughing." pleaded Ruby, "I'm on the verge of being terrified."

"Let us end this, my equals." muttered Kenpachi. He tore his eye-patch off and his spiritual pressure was suddenly a mountain compared to an ant before. Ruby and Ichigo could barely stand under it. Kenpachi reached for his blade and with one swift motion cut a whole tower down.

Ruby gasped with a hanging jaw. "He-He just cut a whole tower down in one stroke. I've never seen anything as terrifying as it was cool."

"Get ready to die, kids." said Kenpachi, an eerie golden glow in his eyes, "The kid gloves are off."

 _"Do not worry."_ spoke the voices of Zangetsu and Mazazoru as they put a hand on their respective shinigami's shoulder. Their spiritual pressures rose creating two geysers of reiatsu brimming around Ichigo and Ruby. _"We are here to fight by your side. Kenpachi only fights alone while making his blade submit under his power, making him rely only on raw power."_

"We're gonna put all our power into one attack and hope to take him down before we collapse." planned Ichigo, getting a nod from Ruby.

"How is it," Kenpachi asked, "that you two have amassed such power in such little time?"

"Because we don't fight alone." answered Ichigo, "Our Zapakuto are always fighting by our sides."

"And there are also our friends," said Ruby, "who put their faith in us. We cannot fail."

"How disappointing." replied Kenpachi as he gripped his sword in both hands, "Come then, Ichigo, Ruby, let's put an end to this. HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Kenpachi unleashed his energy to the max, and it revealed itself taking the shape of a skull with glowing eyes. Ruby and Ichigo's eyes glowed as they too raised their powers and took the form of two faces with one side expressing a mask with a red eye. Ruby and Ichigo placed their Zanpakuto together. With a war cry, they both charged together, putting all the power they had in their arms. At point of impact, a bright light engulfed the two and several towers flattened into dust instantly. The clash of such high spiritual pressures could be felt across the Sereitei, catching the attention of a certain black cat.

The dust settled, and there was now a crater in an area of rubble. Ichigo and Ruby impaled Kenpachi, almost all the way through. However, Kenpachi's Zanpakuto was stuck in Ichigo's left side.

"Probably should've," groaned Ichigo, "ducked... or something."

He collapsed from the pain, and blood gushed out of the wound. Ruby's wound on her back reopened and she fell into unconsciousness from the blood loss.

"Sorry... guys." groaned Ruby before everything went dark.

Kenpachi hummed to himself and rested his blade (Nozarashi, spoilers) on his shoulder. His haori was soaking red with his own blood.

"What are you talking about? You won." At those words from the hulking shinigami captain, her sword snapped and he fell in defeat.

A black cat arrived at the scene, a bit surprised to find Captain Zaraki himself lying down in defeat. He approached the unconscious Ruby and Ichigo, who were currently losing a lot of blood.

"You appear to be losing blood." said Yoruichi, "What happened? Cat got your tongue. Ha-ha-ha. Oh, I'm terrible." If Ruby was alive, she would've died just to save herself from a joke that was somehow worse than Yang's. In a flash of light, the three disappeared from the scene, right before some shinigami arrive with the shocking sight of a defeated and (not surprisingly) bloody Captain Zaraki.

* * *

(The Hideout)

Ruby awoke with a gasp and lurched up from her previous lying position. As she got her bearings, she took a slow survey of her new surroundings. There were in some sort of cave with a tarp over the entrance. She was in a makeshift bed, and her top and hood was removed and placed in a corner to apply bandages to her wounds. Speaking of, Ruby could feel a numb feeling on her back, indicating her Aura failed to heal her and now there was another scar to add to the history books. She could only hope it wasn't noticeable.

Ruby was glad to find not only Ichigo, but also Ren in makeshift beds at both sides of her. They both sustained wounds of their own. With Ren, Ruby saw a gauze wrapped in bandages on his right side, and Ichigo's entire torso was made into a white present. Their eyes twitched awake, and Ichigo also bolted upright.

"We're alright." said Ruby, "Don't you want to get up Ren?"

"Considering what we've been through," replied Ren, "I think it's best that we stay in recover. Besides-" Ren winced when he tried to get up "- my wound may need some more time."

"You fought a captain too?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I did." said Ren, "But I lost."

Ruby sighed. "At least we're alive. But how did we get here?"

"You're welcome."

The familiar deep voice turned all three heads to Yoruichi. Somehow, in less than a second Ruby dashed with her Semblance forth and back to the bed where she cradled the cat in a hug with comforting caresses.

"Yoruichi," squeaked Ruby, "You're the most awesome cat. You saved our butts out there. Gah, you and Zwei would make the most awesome duo in history."

"I'm flattered." Yoruichi replied reluctantly.

Ichigo and Ren sweat dropped. Yoruichi almost forced his (her) way out of Ruby's grasp before she fell victim to her expert petting. They didn't know how, but the cat was giving off a serious mood.

"Right now," said Yoruichi, "Ganju and Hanataro are headed to Rukia's cell, but I can sense Captain Kuchiki will be on his way there and the two will most likely be dead."

"Then it's obvious we've got to get up and save them." said Ichigo.

"No!" shouted the cat, "You three are too important to go out fighting with those wounds. I'll go, but it'll require my true form to get there fast enough."

"You're true form?" wondered Ruby with a raised brow.

Those golden eyes intensified, and for some reason Ruby saw those eyes before. In a flash of light and a cloud of smoke, the cat's figure changed into more of a human. Instead of the masculine physique, Ruby could make out a feminine figure that was all too familiar. When the smoke cleared, Ruby was wide-eyed to see her teacher, Shihoin, as much as Ichigo was shocked that the talking cat was in fact a woman. It also didn't help the two that the woman was completely naked, and it make the two Rioka as red as Ruby's namesake.

"Shi-Shihoin!?" exclaimed Ruby.

"Hi there, Red Flash." said Shihoin, "Actually, my real name is Yoruichi Shihoin, so just call me Yoruichi from now on." Yoruichi pulled out some sort of short stick with the skull and spine of a bird. She went on a long explanation of how it allowed her to transform, but Ichigo and Ruby were too distracted that Yoruichi was still naked before them and didn't bother to change at all. It got so uncomfortable that it was Ren of all people who snapped; the entire time he forced his head away from Yoruichi.

"I DEMAND YOU PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!" shouted Ren.

"Party-pooper." whined Yoruichi, already putting on enough clothes to hide away her *cough* things.

* * *

 **Done and done. Next Chapter 14: The Final Release. By chapter 16 maybe we may be back in Remnant.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**

 **I don't know what I had to do with Ruby in this time of the story, so I made the decision to make her fight alongside Ichigo against the monster of the man. That way, they both can grow more powerful from this. And the fact that he was using both hands on his blade technically makes him twice as strong since he usually fights with one hand. Besides, there's no way I'm making Ruby and Ren become like Renji.**


	14. The Final Release

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 14: The Final Release**

Ren didn't dare get out from under the sheets until Ruby gave him the confirmation that Yoruichi was fully dressed. It didn't help Ichigo too since his face was the most impressive shade of red Ruby had ever seen. Just as they calmed down, they felt an immense spiritual pressure, comparable to Kenpachi. Ichigo knew perfectly who it was, and wasted no time grabbing Yoruichi's artifact despite the pain from his healing wounds.

"What the heck are you doing, you idiot?" yelled Yoruichi.

"Ichigo, stop, you need to heal." said Ruby, though she too.

"I sent Ganju and Hanataro up there." said Ichigo, activating the device, "It's my responsibility-"

Suddenly, Ichigo gagged and fell to the floor unconscious. Behind him (somehow) was the big man known as Chad who dealt a quick punch to Ichigo's temple to knock him out. His demeanor was still so flat.

"I know I'm strong," said Chad, "but even I know that a punch like that would never knock out Ichigo at full strength." When Yoruichi got Ren, she also picked up Chad and he assisted the ex-shinigami in healing the trio's wounds when Yoruichi brought them all back to their hiding place. Suffice to say, Chad's skill with first aid could've landed him a job at Ichigo's dad's own clinic.

"Thank you, Chad." said Yoruichi, grabbing her device and exiting the hideout, "All of you stay here. I'll go make sure that Hanataro and Ganju make it out safe." With an expert shunpo, she was gone and blinked hundreds of feet with each step.

"It's scary." noted Ren.

"What is?" wondered Ruby.

"You're already fast as it is." said Ren, "But if Yoruichi is the one that is teaching you, excuse me to say you're going to be a complete monster under her."

Ruby laughed nervously seeing the sincere fear in Ren's eyes of a Ruby so fast she could reach the mountains around Vale from Beacon academy in one shunpo.

* * *

(Repentance Cell)

 **"Scatter, Senbonzakura."**

At those words, the blade of Captain Kuchiki scattered in numerous cherry blossoms. They surrounded the man known as Ganju, who took a stand the moment they felt the captain's spiritual pressure crush down upon them. And they were so close too. They finally got Rukia out of the cell only for a captain to stand in their way.

Instantly, Ganju was dealt multiple gashes and cuts across his body since the "petals" were many blades so fast and tiny they shined in the air. He collapsed on the ground, but Byakuya's eyes were cold to reveal his merciless intent.

"Brother, stop!" cried Rukia, "Don't kill him."

Her words fell on deaf ears as Byakuya raised his hand to deal the killing blow. However, in a burst of speed, a chocolate-skinned hand stopped Byakuya's arm. The captain's eyes widened with surprise.

"You need to control that temper, little Byakuya." said a silky, feminine voice.

"Yoruichi Shihoin." said Byakuya, looking back perfectly composed, "What is traitor such yourself dare to enter the Soul Society?"

Yoruichi flashed her teasing smile, but instantly led it fade into a more serious look. With a shunpo, Yoruichi grabbed Ganju. She was interrupted mid-shunpo by Byakuya blocking her way.

"If you think I will let you leave here alive, you have become senile." stated Byakuya.

Yoruichi smirked. "You've gotten faster, but not as fast as me unfortunately."

Rukia and Hanataro watched with wide eyes of the afterimage display before them. Both were unbelievably fast, and the wind picked up in the wake of their speed. Wherever Yoruichi went, Byakuya had blocked her path, but any attack he launched Yoruichi was already gone. No one could tell the Shihoin was toying with the captain.

Meanwhile, a white-haired man arrived on the scene with a concerned look marking his face. "Captain Kuchiki, I sensed your spir- What the devil!?" He stood shocked that Byakuya was currently in combat with Yoruichi, who supposedly disappeared a century ago. Juushiro, the arrival's name, caught a glint of Yoruichi's golden eyes glance back at him for a moment.

When Byakuya slashed his sword, Yoruichi disappeared and appeared on the very blade. With another, Yoruichi appeared on top of a roof.

"Three days." stated Yoruichi, "In three days, I will have trained Ichigo to be strong enough to kill you."

With another shunpo, Yoruichi disappeared and was already too far to track down.

'Ichigo's really alive.' thought Rukia, 'Thank goodness.'

Byakuya moved towards Rukia and Hanataro, but Juushiro interjected on their behalf.

"That's enough, Captain Kuchiki." said Juushiro in a commanding tone, "Just what do you think you were doing?"

"I was handling-"

Byakuya was cut off as Juushiro coughed painfully from his illness. It went on for a few several seconds before Byakuya spoke again.

"I am dealing with-"

Juushiro coughed again, interrupting the captain.

"I am-"

Yet again, Juushiro halted the captain's words with another fit of coughing that must be destroying his lungs.

"I-" Byakuya said but gave up when Juushiro proved too sick to let him speak back, "Please just die."

"You have no authority here." said Juushiro, holding down his coughing fits, "Hanataro's punishment will be delivered by Captain Unohanna, and Rukia Kuchiki will be returned to her cell."

"Fine." grumbled Byakya and walked away from the cell, forcing himself to never look back. Juushiro looked back at his former lietenant, and his look promised to save her if it was the last thing she would do.

* * *

 _Back at the hideout._

Yoruichi returned in a literal flash, now carrying Ganju over her shoulder. Ren was recovered from his injuries just enough to assist Yoruichi and Chad to apply Ganju first aid. Ruby and Ichigo still rested in their sacks, the former keeping an eye on the orange-head so he wouldn't run off. Ichigo responded with his usual scowl, clearly annoyed by the situation.

"Hey, it's your fault you were stupid enough to try and get out of here." noted Ruby.

Ichigo grumbled under his breath, but it only brought a smug smile to Ruby's face.

"Even as powerful as the three of you are," said Yoruichi, "you're still not strong enough to deal with captains. With the exception of Captain Zaraki, all captains have the ability to obtain a level beyond shikai, called bankai."

"Bankai?" wondered Ruby with dazzling eyes.

"Yes." answered Yoruichi, "Every Zanpakuto is capable of bankai, but it takes a decade of grueling training to achieve so."

"Unless..." said Ruby, sensing Yoruichi was up to something.

Yoruichi chuckled. "You catch on quite well. Follow me."

To their surprise, Yoruichi led the trio of shinigami down a ladder in the back and they found themselves in a "basement" exact to the one under Mr. Urahara's shop. It was less flat than the one in Karakura Town with numerous cliffs dotting the training ground. Even if you stuffed fifteen Grimm mammoths in here, it still wouldn't fill the expanse before them.

"How do you make this stuff?" exclaimed Ruby in a cutesy, but demanding tone.

"Kisuke and I had a loooot of time on our hands." answered Yoruichi vaguely.

Somewhat satisfied, Ruby perked up to the main topic. "So, when can we get started? I'm ready for anything you've got."

Yoruichi visibly winced and paused to figure out her words. "Um, uh, Ruby... you see when you say _we_ that's , well, you're thinking of you Ren, and Ichigo... when in fact it's only Ichigo."

Ruby's was stuck as though by glue and only muttered in a flat tone. "Come again?"

"I think it's best that I show you." said Yoruichi as she pulled out a thin mannequin from out of thin air, "The secret to master Bankai in three days lies in this spiritual tool called the Tenchintei. It allows the user to draw out their Zanpakuto so they may train with them to master Bankai and will do so as long as the wielder has done so."

"And you're telling me this because..." said Ruby.

'Ruby is going to dig her own grave, I just know it.' thought Ren and sighed outwardly.

"Sorry to say but," said Yoruichi with a heavy look, "but the device can only handle one spirit at a time, and I already had plans to train Ichigo."

Right on cue, Ruby's world absolutely shattered, her hopes and dreams of attaining some super awesome power just gone. It left Ruby a pale shell of herself with her jaw hanging loosely and tears swelling in her eyes. Ren covered his ears knowing full well what would come next.

Ruby let out all her breath at once and shouted, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Her scream was somehow so loud it rocked the training grounds, but she ran out of breath before she actually did damage. Next, Ruby flashed in her Semblance and trapped Yoruichi in her arms.

"Please~, don't do this to me, Yoruichi~." cried Ruby, "Why does strawberry get to get cool stuff but not meeee~?! I'm your little Red Flash. Am I not good enough?"

"Ruby..." said Ichigo with a sweatdrop. Ruby's banter reminded her too much of Yuzu when she got upset, and she could really melt hearts of stone.

"Oh, don't cry like that." said Yoruichi in the most honest sympathetic tone she could muster, putting a hand on Ruby's head, "You're my little pupil, remember? I never would forget you."

Losing hope, Ruby dashed away and sulked in a corner sitting on the ground and hugging her legs to her chest. A dark atmosphere was hanging over her head like a storm cloud.

"You're only saying that just because I'm upset." whimpered Ruby, making everyone sweatdrop more.

"Ruby, of course you're my star pupil." said Yoruichi, approaching the miserable Ruby, "My prized Red Flash. And so I've been thinking of teaching you a 'technique' only I know. It may not be Bankai, but it is no less awesome since I made it." Yoruichi put a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Does that make you feel better?"

"...I guess so." responded Ruby softly. She stood up with a sunken head and walked off with Yoruichi for exclusive advanced training.

"Hey, what am I supposed to do here?" demanded Ichigo.

"Just focus your spiritual pressure into the Tenchintei." explained Yoruichi before she and her student flashed away with a shunpo.

Ichigo glanced to Ren. "So what are you going to do?"

Ren put a hand to his chin. "I'm already at the peak of my shikai. It wouldn't hurt to train for bankai, and I have an idea that Kakushifokkusu agrees with. I'm going to ask Chad for help. Good luck, Ichigo."

Ren disappeared with a shunpo and left Ichigo in the dead silence. With a sigh he put his hand on the device.

'Alright Zangetsu.' thought Ichigo, pouring in his spiritual pressure, 'Bring it.'

* * *

(Time-Skip)

Yoruichi smashed Kido into Ruby for the next four hours until she left to check on the situation outside. She did manage to get out some low-level Bakudou and Hadou spells and that was all Yoruichi needed for Ruby to advance to move on her secret training. The effort of using so many Kido arts left Ruby's body aching in pain and that wasn't counting the "spars" of Yoruichi beating down Ruby to hone her hand-to-hand. Nonetheless while she was gone Ruby was honing her skills with her reaper through imagery training and pushing herself to get the perfect blocks, parries, dodges, and most importantly slashes with the most minimal of stamina usage and openings. She hoped this was her first steps in mastering Bankai.

Ren already started on his mastery of Bankai with a means that was certainly unique. Somehow, he put part of his mind in Jinzen to bond with his Zanpakuto spirit. It left all of his senses to be almost unusable but the kicker is he had both Ganju and Chad fight him while he was in partial Jnzen. To say Ruby was amazed was an understatement. The way Ren fought with his eyes closed dodging and attacking his opponents on almost equal ground reminded her of a martial arts master of decades of experience.

'Wow.' thought Ruby, 'He makes graduates, no, proper Huntsmen be outshined by him. If he didn't get so tired easily at the academy, Pyrrha would be considered only a fraction of Ren's skill. And Weiss would be seething at the sight.'

The thought of Pyrrha sunk in her heart. She hadn't heard anything since they battled to near-death on both sides. She wondered what Pyrrha _Zaraki_ was currently doing. Was she plotting revenge and training her body to make Ruby a bloody mess? Or in that final blow when Ruby let her silver eyes unleash her power did Pyrrha regain her memories and was planning to help them?

If that was the case, Ruby was going to have a heavy talk with Ren.

Ruby broke herself from her stupor and realigned her stance. Before she could do a swing, the voice of Summer grabbed all of her attention.

 _"Ruby, I think I may know a way for you to master this Bankai._ " said Summer and Ruby's eyes grew wide with stars.

'Mom, you're the best~!' Ruby squeaked in her head.

Summer chuckled and huffed her chest in Ruby's mindscape in pride. _"Of course I am. Who else has a mother that also kills Grimm and bakes the best cookies?"_

She paused to explain. _"Remember when you manifested myself in the real world with your eyes. Do it now, but put more power and concentration. I should have a body of a more solid reishi, or whatever you call ghost stuff. I won't be around as much as Zangetsu, maybe seven to eight hours at best. I highly doubt you'll get Bankai in the time we have, but I can get you on good progress, and plus you'll get more practice with your eyes."_

'Alright Mom.' Ruby replied, 'I'll try my best.'

Ruby concentrated her Aura till it was at a certain tune and glowed silver instead of her usual red. She focused a significant amount to her eyes. After a moment, her eyes flashed in brilliant silver light that engulfed a part of the training grounds. Once it dimmed down, the smiling image of Summer stood before Ruby. The girl latched onto Summer in a tight hug.

"Hi, Mom." said Ruby, digging her head into Summer's body, "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself."

Summer chuckled and wrapped an arm around Ruby. "It's okay, little petal."

Summer released their embrace and jumped a distance away, showing off years of experience in the agility of her movements. With a snap of her fingers, Ruby's Zanpakuto disappeared and they both wielded dual pistols.

"This is what we'll do." said Summer, "I'll give a certain weapon of my choice. If you are able to hit me once, we move on to the next weapon. The same goes for you, but you will move down a step if you lose."

Ruby smiled. "Easy enough."

Summer gave her own devious smirk. "Oh, ho-ho. So my little petal Ruby has grown some thorns and she thinks she can take on her own mother. Remember who was the greatest Huntress in Remnant, sweetie."

In the blink of an eye, Ruby was shot with a concussive blast that felt like an iron bug rammed into her shoulder. The shot was relatively harmless, but her Aura acted up to work on a bruise.

"Ow." whined Ruby, "I wasn't ready, Mom."

"The enemy won't warn you, Ruby." replied Summer, her smirk unwavering.

'Why do I feel like I'm going to go through hell?' thought Ruby, her instincts on edge.

They blinked about the training grounds with reishi bullets going in all directions like a storm. Each combatant was faster than a lightning strike as they tried to shoot the other, but it was clear who was the dominant one. Wherever Ruby would let off a shot, Summer dodged out of eyesight and Ruby was shot in the back. Ruby would turn around to retaliate only for Summer to disappear and start all over.

"Just," growled Ruby, trying to keep pace with Mazazoru, "stay - still."

Two shots impacted on Ruby's shoulder when Ruby sprayed her dual pistols in front of her.

"Come on!" whined Ruby.

"Aww." cooed Summer, "Is Ruby getting cranky she can't keep up with her own momma?"

A tick mark formed on Ruby's forehead. "I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"That's the spirit!" cried Summer and mother and daughter blinked around each other and fired endless volleys of reishi at each other. Each bullet made a small crater in the rock.

Summer had her eyes locked on her daughter, examining her every move. She already had a feel of Ruby's predetermined movements, and in her opinion she was way too predictable. If she ever went back to Remnant, she was going to give Qrow and Taiyang as piece of her mind for not properly teaching her little petal. Summer fired a shot meant to make Ruby dodge out of the way.

Normally, Ruby would've used her Semblance or shunpo to dodge in a backwards diagonal direction. This time, Ruby adapted successfully and ran straight forward, which caught Summer off guard. The rush of petals split to throw the spirit off and blind her vision. The click of dual guns alerted Summer to the danger behind her. By pure instinct, Summer swayed her head to the side to avoid a reishi bullet hitting its mark, then proceeded to kick Ruby aside.

"Nice try, Ruby." Summer complimented.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Ichigo had gone through a dozen swords and he still thinks that Zangetsu is bent on killing on him. What was the point of all these swords if they just break on contact? As Ichigo was dodging a slash of Zangetsu, a certain zipping noise caught his attention.

"What in the-"

Ichigo was interrupted from his sentence as something aggressively lodged itself into his behind. A reishi bullet courtesy of Ruby missing a shot on Summer.

"AAAAAAUUUGH!" screamed Ichigo, "RUBY, YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

* * *

Back with Ruby...

Ruby took a pause in her training with Summer when she heard the terrible roar of wrath from Ichigo in the distance. As much as she knew Ichigo, the teenager went true with his promises whether there are for favors or revenge. Already, Ruby was sweating bullets on the spot.

"Nice shot." Summer complimented.

"I-It wasn't on purpose!" exclaimed Ruby.

Summer sighed. "Whatever you say, Ruby. You were close, but I'm only going to make it harder on you."

Without warning, Summer used shunpo to get behind Ruby to shoot at point-blank. She feinted the shot as Ruby dodged to outwit Ruby, but the daughter narrowly dodged on reflex with her own shunpo. A bit surprised, Summer didn't acknowledge the bang from Ruby's pistols till the white clad Huntress felt a sting on her back. She turned to the source to see a tired, yet smiling Ruby.

"Very good, Ruby." said Summer.

Suddenly, Ruby's pistols were replaced with a glaive just a third longer than Ruby's height. It gleamed silver like it was made from marble, but the blade as delicate as it may seem gave off a deadly aura. Ruby gave it a few twirls to quickly adapt to the unique balance and wield it effectively. Once done, Ruby didn't have a second for a break and her glaive moved behind her back to block a strike from Summer.

"Your reflexes are getting better." Summer complimented.

"By the end of this day," challenged Ruby, gaining distance with shunpo, "I'll be the one getting Bankai."

"Just try it." said Summer, and the two Roses disappeared in afterimages of themselves across the area.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

Far from the fighting in a locked room dimly lit in an orange glow of a fire. A symphony of metal bashing metal sang throughout the forge for days to then stop. Pyrrha, once beautiful dancer of death, was stained with ash in her hair and sweat on her body. Even so, it couldn't mask the tone physique of the upbringing of a warrior.

Her presence in the forge served two purposes. One was the environment. The near-killing heat was a form of Jinzen training to sharpen her spiritual pressure. Combined with some daily exercise, her endurance was pushed beyond the limits. Insane to most, but to Pyrrha it was served as a punishment for the corruption of her spirit. She still cursed herself that she almost killed Ruby of all people.

The second was the forge itself. Pyrrha may not be someone from Squad 12, but her knowledge of weapon making proved a treasure with the materials she had. It may not be interchangeable with her released Zanpakuto, but it served a purpose still. Hanging by a leather strap on her back was a rifle, black and grey in color from the steel Pyrrha used. She was lucky that ammo and ignition could originate from her own reiatsu reserves.

Despite having her memories of her past life restored, Pyrrha felt split. Pyrrha Zaraki was gone, but there was still an imprint and so Pyrrha Nikos wasn't exactly there either. Everytime she gripped her Zanpakuto, Pyrrha felt this rush of vigor. It was so intoxicating, but it was sickening at the same time. The more she practiced and swung perfect slashes and thrusts, the more this feeling flooded through her body till all she could see was blood.

Pain didn't matter. Losing and winning were the same. Death was meaningless. All that remained was the fight itself.

No matter how much Pyrrha would try to deny it, there was undeniable truth whether in life or death. Pyrrha loved to fight, and it was in death that she truly discovered its bliss.

"What am I?" Pyrrah questioned in the orange glow, her hand tightly gripping her sealed Zanpakuto.

The doors of the forge smashed off their hinges and the tall shadow of a man stood in the light. As Pyrrha's eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed the details of a ripped haori and a pointed chin with a fanged grin. It was the yellow eye that gave him away.

"Captain Zaraki." said Pyrrha, her voice revealing her surprise.

"There you are." said Zaraki, "I've been looking all over for you. And you seem stronger than before."

"Hi, Redhead." said Yachiru, poking her head from Kenpachi's shoulder.

"Oh, hello, it is nice to meet you." spoke an orange headed teenager.

"Who are- What is going on?" exclaimed Pyrrha.

"What does it look like?" said Kenpachi, giving off his maniacal look in his golden eye, "We're going to start a riot."

Pyrrha could tell from that look. The girl must be one of the Rioka, and somehow convinced Kenpachi to aide them in whatever quest they have in Soul Society. That meant they were going to commit treason and fight the entire Gotei 13. It was the perfect opportunity to help Ruby, wherever she may be.

But it was also the prospect to fight. Pyrrha couldn't help herself really. She gave Kenpachi a fanged grin and a glint of excitement in her green eyes.

"What are we standing around here for?!" stated Pyrrha, her tired state immediately washed away by her flaring reiatsu.

* * *

 **Going to skip most of the training and get right to the end of Ichigo's fight with Byakuya. I'm going to change the canon a bit and make it that the other captains arrive later.**

 **Up next is Chapter 15: 3 V 3**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	15. 3 V 3

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 15: 3 V 3**

(Time-Skip to Ichigo's fight)

The cliff above the Sereitei was clouded in a storm of two massive clashing reiatsus. A black, all-powerful Getsuga Tensho from Ichigo against the Hakuteiken of Captain Kuchiki. When the clouds of reiatsu cleared, the two warriors stood apart from each other with their backs turned from the clash. Both were heavily injured and their strength leaving as fast as they bled.

"I won." growled Ichigo, "I totally won."

Contrary to his statement, his shoulder became a fountain of his blood, causing immense pain and loss of strength to wash over him. It was the price of taking such a powerful blow from the Hakuteiken. Lesser people would've been obliterated completely.

"Screw off gravity." said Ichigo, anchoring Tensa Zangetsu to keep himself standing despite the continued blood loss, "You are not bringing me down."

A similar show of crimson sprouted from Byakuya's left shoulder. He was a more durable man as he walked away from the scene dripping blood with every step.

"Well, Ichigo Kurosaki," announced Byakuya, his composed voice failing to hide his physical weak health, "it appears that you have won today. I will abandon my quest to pursue Rukia."

"Byakuya," called Ichigo, using his sword as a support to turn around, "the next time we meet, I hope we can resolve our problems by just sitting down and talking about them."

"Shinigami do not talk." replied Byakuya, "But perhaps we need to change our ways."

With those words from his stone-still face, Byakuya disappeared with a shunpo. Ichigo sighed in exhaustion, but couldn't help the rush of victory that numbed it away.

"I won." cried Ichigo, "I beat Byakuya. Ha-ha-ha. YEEAAAHH!"

'Take that, Ruby.' thought Ichigo in his victory cry, 'I beat a captain all by myself.'

His moment was short-lived as his body started to fail from lack of much needed oxygen that he wasted.

"Victory screech was a bad idea." mumbled Ichigo, his vision blurring, "Getting dizzy."

However, a familiar cry of pain broke him out of his deliriousness and his eyes widened in its direction. Just a few meters away was Renji, who should be _miles_ away from here, bleeding from an injury while holding Rukia and facing not one, not two, but _three_ captains. Fantastic!

Renji was on his knees, his Zanpakuto broken, and some Josh Groban-looking guy looming over him with a sword poised to split him in half. Ichigo pushed in all his willpower to move his legs at tremendous speeds and made it in time to block the killing blow. He was surprised to find so much strength in that one attack despite that the opposing Zanpakuto wasn't even released. Or so he thought.

"Hey, forget about me?" said Ichigo, "You can't go five minutes without me popping up."

The shinigami backed off from each other, allowing Ichigo some breathing space to confront Renji.

"Renji, you had one job." said Ichigo, "One job. Get away from the hill. So why is it you're back on the hill and standing RIGHT WHERE YOU STARTED RUNNING!?"

"Captain Tosen ambushed me, wrapped some sort of white binding around me, and I find myself here with your stupid mug." barked Renji, veins popping on his forehead.

"Likely story." replied Ichigo.

"Would you two shut up and deal with the problem at hand?" screamed Rukia.

Ichigo dropped the little banter and faced the three captains. His body ached like needles were sinking into his skin, but he ignored it.

'I'm tired.' thought Ichigo, 'I'm bleeding practically everywhere. My right shoulder is almost useless. And I have only enough spiritual energy for one final attack before I collapse. Looks like I'll have to take down that Josh Groban-looking guy. Yeah, this will _totally_ work.'

"Ichigo," said Renji, "we need to take down Aizen. I'll use Zabimaru's sacrificial ability while you rush him down with everything you have."

Ichigo nodded and prepared his Tensa Zangetsu. Zabimaru's blades split apart and assaulted Aizen from all sides. While the dust settled, Ichigo rushed down Aizen with all his might... only for the black blade to be stopped by a single finger. As that finger folded down on the blade, Ichigo was suddenly slashed across his midrift.

'What the hell?' thought Ichigo, 'How did he get me? Why does it feel like this isn't what it seems?'

Ichigo collapsed on the floor in a pool of his own blood. In the next instant, Renji also fell from a slash across his left shoulder after Aizen used shunpo to get behind him. Rukia was helpless as Aizen lifted her by her collar and proceeded to extract the Hogyoku. Aizen began to go on how he knew exactly of Ichigo's arrival in the Sereitei and how everyone played their roles in his plan. How Kisuke fooled them in invading Soul Society not to save Rukia, but to retrieve the Hogyoku inside of her. Every word sickened Ichigo.

"AIZEN!"

A giant figure appeared in the blink of an eye before Aizen and brought down a massive blade. The resulting impact split a massive chunk of the cliff off to the side. However, the dust cleared with Aizen holding back the blade with a single hand, and revealing a giant wolf man with a captain's haori.

'He can talk.' thought Aizen, 'How amusing.'

"It's been quite a while since I've last seen your face, Sajin Komamura." said Aizen casually.

"Aizen." snarled the Captain of Squad 7, "How dare you stand there and smile like that, Aizen! You betrayed everybody. Every one of us. You will not be forgiven. Especially you, Kaname!"

With a war cry, Sajin brought down a literal giant fist from his Bankai. Aizen jumped out of the way with Rukia in hand. Once on the ground, Sajin let off his spiritual pressure ready to unleash hell. Aizen suddenly was in front of Sajin, completely calm. He raised his left hand that sparked with black electricity.

 **"Hado 90: Kurohitsugi."**

Sajin could do nothing as black matter formed a skyscraper around him. Before the barrier closed, a certain red blur got in there just in time. Once the Hado spell closed, it released a massive amount of spiritual pressure as it destroyed whatever was inside.

"Deciding to kill him?" asked Gin.

"It matters little." said Aizen, approaching Rukia to do away with her. Ichigo friends arrived on the scene, only to be held down by Gin's spiritual pressure.

"Hmm." said Gin, "Sure is taking a while for that Hado spell to finish."

'Gin raises a good point.' thought Aizen, looking to the Hado spell, 'Sajin should be nothing but atoms right now.'

To his surprise that he walled off, the skyscraper of black reiatsu cracked under a foreign pressure. Silver light leaked out of the widening cracks till to everyone's shock the great Hado spell shattered in a burst of silver light. Sajin was revealed relatively harmless but battered from the pressure of Kurohitsugi. However, standing strongly at his his side with eyes glowing as the source of the light, his supposed savior...

(Que "This Will Be The Day" and any awesome RWBY ost)

... was the anomaly in Aizen's plans known as Ruby Rose in her signature red cloak, but replaced her top with a copy of the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido courtesy of Yoruichi. (This will be Ruby's new look.) She had her combat boots of black striped with red instead of the sandals of the shinigami. Instead of her cheerful attitude, Ruby was giving a venomous glare at Aizen.

"Ah," said Aizen, "so the mystery girl graces us with her presence." With a shunpo, Ren appeared with the notable difference with bandages on his arms. "And with company."

Ren's look reminded the mastermind of the cold composure of the Kuchiki noble house. He could also see some something in those eyes that reminded Aizen of himself: the talent only he possessed. This one would become strong, he just knew it.

Ruby, on the other hand, was a subject entirely different. Aizen's focus was on those eyes. They were like stars that shined brighter than the midday sun and radiated as much power just from that glance. A lesser man would've frozen still at such a glance.

Ren glanced between Sajin and the three captains. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Gin." ordered Aizen.

With a nod, Gin stepped forth and focused his spiritual pressure to crush the Remnanties. To his surprise, their stance did not waver, revealing they were at least on the level of captains.

'They grew as strong as Ichigo at the same time.' thought Aizen, causally observing with interest that continued to grow.

"How dare you!" snarled Ruby, pointing to Sajin, "How dare you try to bring harm to someone - blessed to be absolutely adorable!"

Despite the killing intent in Ruby's voice, everyone couldn't help but sweatdrop at Ruby's words. What kind of person get worked up like that because of such an odd reason? Ren didn't seem to be feel awkward and only sighed.

"That's why," groaned Sajin, getting to his feet, "you... saved me? Uh... thank you?"

Ruby suddenly flipped a switch and gave Sajin a Yachiru-level smile. "Anything for someone so cute."

"We need to get you back to Remnant." muttered Ren, drawing his dual Kakushifokkusu.

Aizen almost lost his composure to surprise seeing Ren pull out a dual Zanpakuto, which only two other people have wielded in history.

'These two are definitely easily captain-class.' thought Sajin, 'If the three of us fight against these traitors, we can-'

Sajin was cut from his thoughts from a wave of pain through his body. The injuries he sustained earlier came back with a vengeance, and his endurance was at its end from calling on Bankai twice today. Ruby saw Sajin's discomfort and put some support under one of his enormous arms.

"Hey, you're hurt." said Ruby, "You can't fight like this."

"I will bring these traitors to justice." spat Sajin.

"There's is no way you are in any shape to fight. After all, you did face my father."

That voice froze Ruby and Ren on the spot. All eyes turned to the direction of the voice to find a shinigami with beautiful red hair and green eyes. Ren was in complete shock like he was stuck in a dream.

"P-Pyrrha!?" gasped Ren.

There was regret in Pyrrha's green eyes, a familiar trait Ruby knew of the real Pyrrha Nikos. A warm smile cracked on her face as Pyrrha joined the pair shoulder-to-shoulder.

"It's good to have you back." said Ruby, drawing her Zanpakuto.

"It's good to be back." replied Pyrrha.

"What an interesting development." said Aizen, "I can't help but wonder who are you people, but in the end it doesn't matter. You are merely humans in the of my goals. If you would, Gin."

 **"Shoot to kill, Shinso."**

In a milisecond, Gin's Zanpakuto extended with the speed of the bullet after Pyrrha. Instead of impaling her, she released her Zanpakuto with thought alone and the blade was stopped in its path by a shield. The impact gave off a bell rang but Pyrrha did not even budge.

'Even a 3rd Seat managed to get this powerful.' thought Aizen, 'It seems these three are more than I expected.'

"I am impressed." said Gin, retrieving his Zanpakuto, "Not too long ago, you were barely on the level of a lieutenant."

"With the right motivation," stated Pyrrha, taking her fighter's stance, "we can make ourselves better."

Aizen chose this time to intervene and stepped forward from his trio. These three were proving too persistent. He held up his blade to release its power to finish this in an instant and leave.

 **"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."**

As Aizen's form shattered and disappeared, all trace of him was gone. However, Ruby' eyes produced a brilliant white light over the entire area. Out of no where, reality shattered like glass and revealed a clearly surprised Aizen not too far from where he was.

'Her eyes broke through Kyoka Suigetsu abilities?!' thought Aizen with shock, 'Perhaps we will have to take them more seriously.'

Ichigo, despite the enormous pain in his entire body, forced his head to hinge back to watch with slight shock and awe as Ruby, Ren, and Pyrrha stood before the three captains. Rukia's eyes were wide in bewilderment with these three.

'Who - Who are these people?' thought Rukia.

Aizen smiled. "You may have powers of a shinigami, but what does three humans change the outcome?"

Ruby smiled. "Trust me, we're the most awesome people you will ever meet. **Cast off the void, Mazazoru."**

Ruby released her Zapakuto, changing it into a scythe almost twice her size and increasing her spiritual pressure. The trio of Remnanties stood before the traitors of Soul Society, and the space between them felt heavy with their colliding spiritual pressures.

"I'm happy you are here with us, Pyrrha." said Ren.

"I am as well." said Pyrrha.

"Ren, Pyrrha." said Ruby, entering her stance, "How about we show them what two Huntresses and a Huntsmen from Beacon can really do?"

They nodded with bright smiles and without words they charged forth with Auras burning bright for Aizen to admire. Blades clashed not even the next second: Ren vs. Gin, Pyrrha vs. Kaname, and Ruby vs. Aizen.

'Quite fast.' thought Aizen, impressed by the force in Ruby's opener.

Aizen was fully confident in his abilities defending against Ruby's onslaught with Mazazoru. But despite his perfection in Kendo, never had he faced a style of fighting so fast and furious. Of course, it was easy to put up a perfect stance with one hand, but he had to give the girl credit: she was remarkably fast. Her speed was perfect to prevent any counter-offensive possible.

Ruby risked a heavy strike that was slightly slower, and Aizen took advantage of that. He parried with his overwhelming spiritual pressure running through his Zanpakuto and brought down the blade for a counter. But Aizen knew that the girl would've seen it, but she didn't make any move to avoid it and just smiled back at him.

His Zanpakuto met resistance inches from Ruby's skin in the form of her Aura. This intrigued Aizen greatly. It was like a Hierro, but the girl didn't possess any Hollow reiatsu. No, she did. As Aizen peered closer into her spiritual energy, she did find remnants of a Hollow much like Ichigo, but it was different. And yet the barrier was something else entirely.

Aizen took back his blade from the swing so he could block the giant scythe from the side. They continued their blur of steel for a few seconds till Aizen noticed a spike in reiatsu at the tip of her fingers. His interests were further peaked that the girl knew Kido. He knew the spell and would easily avoid it to strike back, but he did not expect the rise of reiatsu from Ren.

And so too late to realize, they both chanted.

 **"Hado 4: Byakurai."**

Aizen just barely dodged a lightning blast from Ren, who he thought was too occupied with Gin. Gin himself wasn't too lucky getting singed on his left shoulder from Ruby's blast. As much as he would be annoyed, Gin found it impressive. Their teamwork was so fluid, they hardly needed words. Cohesion of that caliber takes at least half a decade.

'Where did these humans come from?' thought Aizen, 'I know nothing of these fighting styles.'

Ren and Ruby switched opponents to further put Aizen and Gin on edge with trying to adapt to different fighting styles. In the meantime, Kaname was pressed by Pyrrha. She had gotten even more graceful and deadly in her movements. With her polarity, her range of attack could extend almost long-range and its speed and mobility coupled with her pressuring attacks made defending difficult.

Kaname made a swing, only for Pyrrha to block it back with her short spear. Her shield came back from behind and smacked Kaname on his head, knocking him to the ground. Blood dripped from his forehead.

"I thought you would be as reckless as your father." said Kaname, "But you are actually a smart and talented fighter."

"Flattery will get you no where, scum." hissed Pyrrha.

Kaname used shunpo to get some distance. He spun his Zanpakuto my its ring for a moment before holding it to the side.

 **"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihiko."**

Kaname swung his Zanpakuto in a semi-circle and sent a rain of hundreds of blades upon Pyrrha. The Huntress recalled her shield and held it above her. No matter how many crashed down, each one shattered completely on contact with the shield. Ruby took a quick glance to admire the sword's ability.

"Cool." Ruby said before evading an extending Shinso.

As the dust settled, the land was in ruin except for the spot that Pyrrha stood completely fine.

"My Zanpakuto isn't called The Invincible for nothing." noted Pyrrha, then holding her spear in a throwing motion, **"Fangudo Faiya."**

Her spear burned in orange reiatsu before Pyrrha threw it at tremendous speeds. Kaname vanished with shunpo, but did not escape entirely. The clothes on his left side were burned away before hitting the skin. The spear came back to Pyrrha's hand, and she revealed a fanged smirk.

"Perhaps not so different after all." Kaname noted Pyrrha's smile.

"What can I say?" said Pyrrha, "I love to fight."

Back with Ruby, she was stuck at a distance with Shinso trying to pierce through her. All she could do was use her fast reflexes to keep the long blade away. Gin just stood there with that foxy grin.

"Pray tell how are you going to attack me from there?" Gin wondered.

Ruby smirked. "Like this."

Ruby's scythe moved in a blur like Shinso, a bang rang off, and Gin smile faltered as he swayed his head away and a reishi bullet scraped his cheek. The blade of Mazazoru locked into the ground and fired an automatic barrage of reishi bullets. Gin drew back his Zapakuto to a smaller length to deflect the many bullets his way. When he extended Shinso, Ruby merely countered by using shunpo to anchor into another spot.

Shinso extended again and this time Ruby lifted her scythe and fired off a higher caliber shot and used the recoil to dodge. In a mix of shunpo, her Semblance, and her recoil, Ruby multiplied into a storm of afterimages. From behind, Ruby slashed down which Gin blocked easily, but felt himself pressed as she struck from a different angle again and again in an increasing rapid fashion.

Gin was impressed. Never had anyone matched him, or even, surpassed him in speed with a Zapakuto like this.

"What's the matter?" spoke the afterimages of Ruby, "Too fast for ya?"

"Getting cocky, are we, mmmhmm~?" said Gin in his usual fashion.

"Please stop doing that." said Ruby.

'Kid's good.' thought Gin, 'She's actually gotten me in a corner. Shinso isn't really good for an area-of-effect. I could release my Bankai and end her now, but... Aizen won't get that much from me.'

Aizen had to admit it to himself. He liked the challenge this trio were putting up. The girl surprised him, but Ren continued on with the trend. Any other opponent, Aizen could use Kyoka Suigetsu to instantly annihilate his opponent. There was just one problem.

Ren was fighting with his eyes closed.

The Huntsman fought in a more fluid and balanced style that exceeded Kaname even. He fought like any other person would with eyes, but Ren was taking it further defending blind spots almost flawlessly. There was also a strange fluctuation in his reiatsu signature between Ren and his Zapakuto. It was almost like they were communicating.

'Interesting.' thought Aizen, calmly dueling Ren, 'He and his Zanpakuto are working in a more cohesive, almost symbiotic manner. Never have I thought a style of combat could exist. I may have to look into this. It may push me to new heights.'

 **"Terubisuto: Muchi."**

At that chant, Ren's dual bayonets sprouted a glowing tendril of yellow reiatsu like a tail. Ren swung the tails horizontally and parallel to each other. Aizen casually paced back, but the tails ripped through the ground like butter. The dust from the destroyed ground masked Aizen's actions from Ren. Not that he really needed to see him. His spiritual pressure was so cold and immense like that. Then again, he could use this to his advantage.

 **"Bakudo 26: Kyakko."**

Once his spiritual energy was masked, Ren immediately charged through the cloud with all his might in his swing. Steel met steel that dispersed the cloud immediately. As Kakushifokkusu and Kyoka Suigetsu locked against each other, Aizen gave him a smile.

"Oh, so we thought the same thing, did we?" said Aizen.

"Figured that was too easy." said Ren.

He attacked with his left bayonet to cut into Aizen's arm. A wordless bakudo spell sprang to life to defend against the blade. But to his surprise, the barrier did nothing as the blade ghosted through the spell. With a quick shunpo, Aizen managed to lessen the damage from a severed limb to a slight cut.

Aizen wanted to be annoyed that a human had made him bleed, but he smiled once again. This kid was good. Very good.

"I am very impressed." said Aizen, "So much potential in one so young."

From Ruby's fight, she suddenly called out. "Ren, Pyrrha, let's go with Dual Iron Petal."

That brought a smile to the rest of the Remnanties, which Aizen took note of. That was one of the codenames for a unique unison offensive. Back at Beacon, Ruby made sure she made collaborative moves with as many people as she could in any combination, even if it wasn't always with four people.

The steps will be the same, but with their new powers it will only take a little improvising on Pyrrha's part to pull it off.

While Pyrrha was forcing Kaname into position, Ruby fought Gin up close to make him step back and Ren used unarmed mix-ups to keep Aizen on the move. Once all three gave the approving glance, Pyrrha gave a kick to Kaname's gut.

 **"Hado 1: Sho."**

Kinetic force in the simple, but quick Hado spell pushed Gin into position and the trio of traitors found themselves in a group. Meanwhile, Ren charged a powerful Kido and the barrel of Mazazoru produced a red orb.

'Finally know the name of that attack.' thought Ruby.

 **"Hado 63: Raikouhou."**

 **"Piasusan."**

A Cero-like blast and a massive yellow bolt raced after the Aizen and his crew. His mood didn't even faze. A wordless Danku of his caliber was enough to stop both powerful attacks. The ground around them was barely intact from the blast. Only Kaname seemed a bit uneasy in this drawn-out fight.

Out of no where came Pyrrha's role. The shield soared at blurring speeds upon the attackers. Aizen lazily raised his blade to send it away. Gin was pushed back as the shield grinded on his blade. Kaname wasn't as lucky. Pyrrha's Semblance was unfamiliar to the blind man and he was left to her mercy. The shield struck with bone-shattering force from all sides. When Pyrrha recalled the shield, Kaname was bleeding from his mouth and his arms were limp at his sides.

Kaname was furious. There was justice, but this humiliation would not stand.

"This has gone on long enough." growled Kaname, "Lord Aizen, permission to end this now."

"Granted." answered Aizen.

Suddenly, the Remnanties felt a cold sweat on their necks as the air became more thicker with an increasing pressure. Kaname's reiatsu burned off his body and increasing. Rukia was forced to lie down flat under the pressure, and Ichigo flinched from this familiar spike.

"This isn't good." said Pyrrha.

"Please don't tell me he's going to do that." whimpered Ruby.

'So they don't have Bankai yet.' thought Aizen.

"This is the end." said Kaname, **"Ban-"**

'Crapbaskets.' thought the Remnanties.

"Dammit, no!" cursed Ichigo.

 **"-kai."**

Several rings split from Kaname's hands, grew in size, and spread throughout the edge of the hill. Darkness took hold of the trio. There was no clear way to describe it. It was pitch black, completely silent, and not even a scent in the air. It was just so empty.

 **"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi."** said Kaname, "I cannot believe you three have forced me to bear you witness to my Bankai. In this space, you cannot hear, you cannot see, you cannot smell."

"Guys," called Ruby, "I don't know if you're saying anything. I also can't hear or see. I can't hear anything."

Kaname aimed his sights on Pyrrha. He felt something throb on his forehead. Like her father, she was such a trouble-maker, and persistent. With a shunpo, he slashed down on her back, piercing through her Aura thanks to the common enhancement of Bankai.

"It's really alarming how much I can't hear any of you guys right now." whimpered Ruby.

"Even if I slash you will not see it coming." said Kaname, "This silence will be your end."

"You don't think this guys is monolouging to himself, right?" said Ruby, "I feel like he is."

That other girl was getting annoying, but first he would finish off Pyrrha. He rushed the redhead down, his sword poised to impale her.

"Prepare to draw your final breath, Pyrrha _Zaraki_." spat Kaname as he thrusted the sharp steel through Pyrrha.

She didn't even gag. The pain was immeasurable. She wanted to cry in agony, but a new feeling took over her. Her eyes gave a mad look and to Kaname's shock she started laughing. Before he could disengage, Pyrrha grabbed Kaname's sword arm, allowing her senses to come back.

"Guess I am a Zaraki." laughed Pyrrha, "Like father, like daughter. Fancy seeing you here though. That little stab of yours was great!"

'You have to be kidding me?!' thought Kaname as not too long ago Kenpachi put him in the exact situation. He knew what would come next. '#### my life.'

Pyrrha brought down a vicious slash down Kaname's body, and the Bankai was immediately broken. Ruby and Ren were a bit confused at the return of their senses, but snapped out of the stupor when they saw the state of Pyrrha. It wasn't the fact she had a wound right through her body, but it was the fact she was laughing with a fanged smile.

"This chick is as crazy as Kenpachi?!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"One was enough as it is." whined Rukia, "And after so many times to get rid of Kenpachi for ages."

The rush of battle took Pyrrha over and her green reiatsu exploded off of her body. Her eyes glowed a sickly green and the ground cracked at her feet. At her feet was a fatally wounded Kaname.

"Got something to say over there, four eyes." snarled Pyrrha at Aizen. "Huh, shocker. Time to kill mumbles-a-lot."

Pyrrha brought down an overhead. Her spear only split the earth and Kaname escaped at his allies' side with shunpo.

'She's as strong as Kenpachi like this.' thought Aizen, 'Makes sense.'

"Don't run now." cried Pyrrha, flashing her devil's grin and her spiritual pressure screeching through the air, "We were going to have so much fun! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"She's lost it." gasped Ren in disbelief. Ruby said nothing but stared with wide eyes at the berserk Pyrrha.

"Look out below because here we come." called a familiar voice.

All eyes looked above to find the giant Jidanbo falling from the sky with Kukaku on his shoulder. A Raikouhou fired from her arm aimed at Aizen. It did nothing of course, but then came the other powerful spiritual pressures. Soon, more shinigami arrived on the hill now being informed of Aizen's betraya. Yoruichi and a girl who Ruby guessed must be Soi Fon appeared around Aizen, locking down his blade and putting a blade to his neck. Gin was caught off guard by a woman with Yang's figure putting her blade to his throat.

Three more captains arrived, two being Juushiro and Shunsui, but the other was by far one of the oldest people Ruby has ever seen. He gave off a menacing presence, despite the ridiculous length of his beard and eyebrows. Ruby didn't see any Zanpakuto, but she sensed something from the cane he held.

"Hello, Head Captain Yamamoto." greeted Aizen casually still.

'Seriously, how is this guy so calm?' thought Ruby.

"Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tosen," said the old man, "Sosuke Aizen, what you have done has brought a stain on every aspect of Soul Society. For the murder of Central 46 and the manipulation of the justice of Sereitei, the three of you will be executed immediately. If you have any words to spare, tell me the reason for these heinous acts."

Aizen chuckled. "Yamamoto, I simply cannot find myself among any of you. I will not find myself at the end of this life. Far from it."

"You are foolish to think you can take on all of us." hissed Soi Fon.

"I'm not a fool." said Aizen, "But I do have my ways."

Suddenly, the sky above them split apart into a black void. Hundreds of giant figures roared from its depths, sending chills through Ruby.

"Soi Fon, move!" cried Yoruichi.

They barely got out of the way as three beams of light surrounded the captains and lifted up to the crack in the sky.

"It is no use." said Yamamoto, "That barrier has put them in a separate dimension."

"How dare you, Aizen!" roared Ukitake, "You would side with the Hollows?!"

"This is goodbye, Soul Society." said Aizen as he removed his glasses and his hair slicked back, "I am off to achieve new heights. Humans, shinigami, Hollows. All will come to know and fear the name that is Aizen."

As everyone stood helpless to stop their escape, only Ruby sprinted with her Semblance and jumped up to reach Aizen.

"Ruby, what are you doing?!" exclaimed Yoruichi.

"I'm not letting someone like him get away." cried Ruby, "Not after all that he has done."

Ruby's eyes flashed and to everyone's shock Ruby was passed the barrier and in front of Aizen. Her scythe glowed silver as she powered it with her reiatsu.

 **"Shirubasukai."**

An arc of silver reiatsu shot out from her blade, only to be stopped by Aizen's Zanpakuto. The blade pierced through the scythe, locking Ruby in place. She looked up to see Aizen's smug look.

"You are very interesting." said Aizen, "Ruby Rose, was it? You are very much like Ichigo. I hope I see you both again and whatever power you have. **Hado 1: Sho."**

"RUBY!" screamed Ren and Pyrrha.

This Hado spell was far more powerful than Ruby. A boom of kinetic force pushed across the hill like she was thrown by Jidanbo. In her flight, Ruby crashed into boulders breaking into her Aura. No matter how many she crashed through, she didn't appear to stop.

Her mind was going dark and she was nearing the edge. Sluggishly, Ruby anchored Mazazoru into the ground to slow her down. Her speed finally had signs of slowing down, and she was fortunate to stop as the blade sinked into the edge and Ruby was hanging over the edge.

"I... I'm okay," Ruby said weakly, her grip loosening, "I'm... just got...to...fuuu..."

Ruby's eyelids shut over her eyes and her fingers slipped from her handle on her scythe. A hand shot over the edge of the hill and grabbed onto the unconscious Ruby. Following the hand up, there was Ichigo covered in his blood that dripped onto Ruby. As much as the risk of his entire body splitting apart, Ichigo dared not let go of Ruby.

"Don't worry, Ruby." groaned Ichigo, his sheer willpower lifting the teenager up. "I got you. I got...you."

Ichigo just managed to pull Ruby to safety before the bliss of unconsciousness took over him. Ren and Pyrrha were the first to get to them, sighing in relief finding they were both alive. Orihime ran as fast as she could and started using Santen Kesshun.

This had been a rough day.

* * *

 **Yay. I was having so much fun writing this entire chapter. The arc is over, but what will Ren and Ruby do in the meantime...?**

 **Up next is Chapter 16.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	16. This is Not Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 16: This is not Goodbye**

Everyone of Soul Society took their own way of dealing with Aizen's betrayal. The Squads associated with the traitors were devastated that their own captains that they looked up to left them. Squad 4's base was filled to the brim of shinigami who were fighting each other from the mass confusion beforehand and now proceeded to heal wounds between each other. Squad 6, the group of shinigami that basically worshipped the law of Soul Society, were absolutely livid that they were manipulated like such.

Squad 11 was... whatever the hell Squad 11 is.

Speaking of law, the authority of Central 46 fell to Yamamoto as he stood in the barracks of Squad 1. Of the captains present, Captain Kurotsuchi and Kuchiki were the only ones not present, still recovering from their wounds. Captain Komamura was absent as well to treat emotional wounds from Kaname's betrayal. Now the old man kept a rarely constant open-eyed stare at the two Rioka who carry the unknown reiatsu that basically burned around their bodies like a shield. They were Ruby Rose and Lie Ren, strange humans with shinigami powers like Ichigo Kurosaki that were impressively captain-class just in Shikai. Juushiro and Ukitake were paying special attention at Ren since he held a dual Zanpakuto. Ruby was sweating bullets on the spot beneath Yamamoto's gaze.

"Ruby Rose and Lie Ren." said Yamamoto, "Two Rioka who carry reiatsu of a shinigami much like Ichigo Kurosaki. Quite impressive power you have as well, and if I had the courtesy I would allow you to join the Gotei 13 as replacement captains."

That statement earned a few raised brows from the current captains. Especially from Captain Hitsugaya. He of course could feel their reiatsu that admittedly exceeded him in Shikai, but it still surprised him coming from the Head Captain.

"However," said Yamamoto, gaining a wince from Ruby, "you along with the other Rioka broke into the Sereitei, fought through all of Squad 11, and even wounded several seated officers and captains. I will look over this for your actions in stopping the traitors known as Sosuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Tosen Kaname. But one thing intrigues me and it is the unfamiliar reiatsu you carry. Where are you from?"

'Oh crap, what do I say?' thought Ruby in a panic.

Ren answered, who somehow kept his composure under the old man's gaze. "We are not from any realm you would know. We come from a different world of the living called Remnant. We are trained as Huntsmen and Huntresses and use the power of our souls that we have named Aura. My companion and I no nothing else since we are new to this world as well."

That gained some apprehensive whispers in the room. Yamamoto's eyebrows only heightened but nothing else in his expression changed.

"I see." said Yamamoto, "However, I cannot help but wonder of the anomaly known as Pyrrha Zaraki since she bears the same powers of this 'Aura'."

This time Ruby answered. "Pyrrha is from our world. She...died not too long ago on our world. Whether it is natural that people who die come here or not, I honestly can't say anymore."

"If that is the case," said Hitsugaya, "then why haven't we noticed this until now? If you don't come here, then your souls must go somewhere."

"I-I don't know." said Ruby softly.

"Do all of you humans possess this Aura?" asked Yamamoto.

Ruby nodded, and the old man sighed.

"Do I need to explain to you what a Hollow is?" said Yamamoto and Ruby shook her head. He continued, "If it is possible to travel through your world to ours, then it can be done by Hollows. They would hunt every human since you all have a higher than average spiritual pressure."

"Actually," said Ruby, "I don't know if this is important, but we Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained to fight against our enemy the Grimm. They are hordes of monsters who do nothing but kill and eat humans. Since they are soulless, it is right we use the power of our souls to fight them."

"They sound alot like Hollows to me." said Shunsui.

Ruby shook her head. "I know it does but Grimm and Hollows are very different. Grimm don't have souls as far as I know, but the older they are the stronger and smarter they get. They are I believe are led by a sentient being named Salem. That's all I know and that is more than most."

"Hmm." hummed the Head Captain in thought, "Still the threat of Hollows is a possibility. If you could travel back to your world, then so could they. I heard from former Captain Yoruichi that you are affiliated with Kisuke Urahara and that he is building a portal back to your world. We wish to do the same once he has completed the task. With your consent of course."

Ruby and Ren gave widened eyes of surprise back at the Head Captain.

"Why?" Ren simply asked.

"It is our duty to purify the scourge that are known as Hollows." said Yamamoto, but elicited a downcast look from Ruby from the statement. Just because someone is a monster doesn't mean they deserve death on the spot, right? Grimm were different, they are constructs of flesh and bone lacking a soul. But these Hollows were once people. For now, Ruby pushed those thoughts aside. "We cannot allow Hollows to consume the souls of the living, and your world will be in danger under their gaze. We ask that you allow us to travel into your world so we may initiate our duties and protect your people from them."

"I...I." Ruby was panicking. Ruby knew that the shinigami weren't exactly the best as they claimed to be. They could easily be corrupted, and that worried Ruby since they were a few people who could stand up to them. On the other hand, if Hollows did exist or were able to come to Remnant, the results would be more cataclysmic than anything in history. Ruby was not prepared to face an event more horrible than the Battle of Beacon. "I have to think on this. I don't know what the state of Remnant is right now. But when I do decide, I get to set my terms. Is that, uh, okay?"

Yamamoto nodded his head and closed his eyes. "That is acceptable."

Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. They were beckoned to leave, and the pair of Remnanties walked between the aisle of captains. One in particular named Soi Fon gave Ruby a venomous stare seeing her wearing the same commander-in-chief outfit as she did. Ruby kept her eyes straight and away from the scary lady before she would break down.

Once they left far from the barracks, Ren spoke. "You handled yourself well in there."

"Really?" squeaked Ruby, surprised.

Ren nodded. "I can see why Ozpin chose you as a team leader. Maybe you could be more than that."

"Are you saying that I could totally be one of them in that room?" said Ruby, and Ren nodded in response.

"I really don't see it." Ruby replied, "I really wouldn't want it. This place isn't the best I've seen. People are here are still corrupt and I'd say the fact those three betrayed them was bound to happen. I don't want to be a figurehead in a world that still has a lot of problems going on. I just want to stop it."

"Well said." said Ren, and they took their separate paths.

* * *

 _Squad 11 Barracks_

Ikkaku Madarame was just out of the hospital and already had a defeated opponent at his feet. He had bored expression on his face. Not one member would last a minute. No wonder they were beaten by a few Rioka.

"Alright, who's the next sucker?" shouted Ikkaku.

"Watch what you say." said a feminine voice, a rarity in Squad 11, "You may choke on them."

Ikkaku turned to the voice and his ego melted into a cold sweat. Standing on the other side of the dojo was his superior Pyrrha Zaraki. Those piercing green eyes screamed 'You are worthless'. Gulping downs his fear, Ikkaku made his stance against Pyrrha, but she stayed relaxed.

"Prepare yourself." stated Ikkaku, "This time, I will take my place as one of the strongest after I beat you. Now, let us begin."

"Hmm, did you say something?" said Pyrrha casually.

With bulging veins of fury, Ikkaku charged down Pyrrha with all his might and anger in that one attack. The entire time, Pyrrha just stood there calmly without a worry in the world.

BONK!

Ikkaku's face planted into the floor with a red bump. Pyrrha didn't even use a wooden sword, and just punched Ikkaku right on the head.

Pyrrha sighed. "Honestly, you leave yourself wide open in your excitement. The same goes for every single one of you. If we are truly the strongest of Soul Society, then don't let anyone get the better of you. Prove you are stronger every single day. If that is all, who has the courage to test themselves."

"I will."

Pyrrha didn't recognize that voice in her Squad. She looked at the other side to find Ichigo Kurosaki with his default scowling expression. The redhead cracked a smile and took a stance.

"You're Ruby's friend right?" said Pyrrha, "I hope you meet up to her standards as she lets on. What brings you here anyway?"

"I just got bored." answered Ichigo, taking his stance.

"Hmph." said Pyrrha, "Well then, bring it on...strawberry."

A tick mark instantly formed on Ichigo's forehead at that nickname. "Ruby..."

A tension grew in the air as the fighters let off their spiritual pressure. Before any opponent made a step forward, the doors of the dojo opened to the massive figure known as Kenpachi Zaraki.

"What is going on here?" Kenpachi asked.

"Good morning, Captain." Pyrrha greeted with a bow, "I was just...disciplining our squad for their failure. That is until Ichigo came here and challenged me."

"Ichigo is here?" said Kenpachi as his one eye turned to Ichigo.

"Oh, hi Ichi." squeaked Yachiru from Kenpachi's shoulder.

"What do you wa-"

Ichigo was cut short from his sentence when his wooden sword was cut by a quick slice from Kenpachi's very real Zanpakuto. A fanged grin marked his face.

"Good, now I get to fight you again." cried Kenpachi, slamming down his blade.

On point of impact, a crater formed at his feet. Instead of Ichigo, he found his sword struck on Pyrrha's shield, who called upon her Zanpakuto with her Semblance.

"Wrong one, Father." noted Pyrrha, pointing to the side, "He's over there."

Ichigo went passed the doors, kicking up dust as he ran for his life.

"Screw you." cursed Ichigo, "No way I'm fighting that freak again."

"Hey, get back here and fight me Ichigo!" snarled Kenpachi.

Pyrrha gave a pout with a mad glint in her eyes. "Why don't you fight me instead?"

Her words went on empty ears as Kenpachi gave chase to Ichigo. She sighed, knowing Kenpachi's chase is futile since Yachiru would just lead him in the wrong direction. But still, she actually fight and she was just as strong.

It was one of those times she missed Jaune for how different he is.

'Men.' thought Pyrrha.

* * *

 _Squad 4 Barracks_

Renji looked for his captain since the incident. He no longer had any ill will toward Byakuya; they were all manipulated like puppets. Still, the lieutenant needed to face his captain if just to even any tension between them.

However, when he opened the doors to his room, he was greeted with a sight that would mark his mind.

There was Byakuya - smiling. Smiling, and that wasn't the weirdest part! The one thing that caught Renji's attention was the person sitting next to him sharing tea that Renji's mind processed as Byakuya's younger brother he didn't know until now. The visitor looked so much like a Kuchiki, no, so much like a younger version of his captain. He had the long black hair, the narrowed cold eyes, the pale skin, and that straight posture that just gave off an air of authority and power his "older brother" showed.

For a few seconds, Renji just stood there unblinking until they turned to him with the same exact composure. It was then Renji noticed the only difference standing out was a strand of megatte in the younger "Kuchiki's" hair.

"Renji," spoke Byakuya, "what do I owe this visit?"

"Uh, my apologies, sir." said Renji, "I didn't know your younger brother was here to visit."

The "Kuchiki" paused drinking his tea and looked back at Renji. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. I am not a Kuchiki. My name is Lie Ren, one of the Rioka. It also surprises me how much I look like a member from the Kuchiki Clan."

"After our conversation," said Byakuya, "I wouldn't mind adopting you into the house. You would prove to be a great member."

"It is a tempting offer." said Ren, "I will take my leave. I feel as though-"

"Hey, has anyone seen Rukia?"

All eyes turned to Ichigo who was crouched over the window of Byakuya's room.

"Did you seriously just climb four stories just to get to this room?" said Ren, "You could've just checked in to visit."

Ichigo had nothing to retort and just switched back to the subject.

"So I'll ask again," said Ichigo, "do you know where Rukia is?"

"Isn't she supposed to be with you?" said Renji.

"I even looked at the Kuchiki manor." said Ichigo, "If she wasn't at there too, then there is one place she definitely is." Ichigo then noticed Ren in the room. "Oh, hey Ren. Do you know where Ruby is too?"

"I would imagine she's trying to cheer up Captain Komamura." said Ren.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "And why?"

"Ruby has a very soft spot for anything dog related." Ren elaborated. That was an understatement. In the short time he saw Zwei and Ruby together, it makes Nora's attachment to Ren child's play.

* * *

 _Shiba Household_

"Aha, I knew I'd found you here."

Rukia turned around to find Ichigo and Orihime. "Ichigo? Orihimi?"

"Sorry for interrupting your little chat." said Ichigo, "But you need your rest to leave tomorrow. In the morning, they are going to open a gate for us to go to back to Karakura Town."

Rukia sighed and averted her eyes away from her friends in shame. "I have to tell you something. I've decided, Ichigo, to stay here in the Soul Society."

"WHHHHAAAAAAAT!?" screeched a high-pitched voice of a girl Rukia didn't have the courtesy to have met yet. The trio looked in the direction to the Shiba household where a dust cloud was approaching them. The next thing Rukia knew, she was being held up by the girl she saw fight Aizen. She now noticed her silver eyes and how much power they radiated from just a glance. Rukia remembered her name being Ruby from Ichigo.

"After all the stuff we went through," screamed Ruby, "you're just going to just not go back? We literally almost died to get you. I almost had both my arms cut off at one point, and nearly sliced in half by a maniac with an eye-patch. Yet after all that you still-"

"RUBY!" cried Ichigo for the fifth time.

"WHAT!?" snarled Ruby.

"I'm okay with it." said Ichigo calmly.

Even Rukia was surprised by his response. To Ruby, it looked like she flipped a switch and her angry scowling was replaced with realization.

"Oh, uh." Ruby settled Rukia onto the ground and wiped any dust on her shoulders, "Uh, sorry about that."

"I-It's fine." said Rukia.

"Let's start over." said Ruby, holding out her hand, "My name is Ruby Rose."

"Rukia Kuchiki." Rukia accepted Ruby's handshake.

"Rukia," said Ichigo with a very rare smile on his face, "I'm fine with it. Like you said, this place is your home, and as long as I know you are safe then I don't mind. It was... a good experience getting to know you."

"Thank you, Ichigo." said Rukia, "I'll-I'll make sure to come and visit."

"I'd expect nothing else." said Ichigo, taking his leave with a wave of his hand, "Take care, Rukia."

Ruby smiled and bowed her head to Rukia. "It was nice to meet you. I can see why Ichigo wanted to save you so much."

Rukia watched as the duo human shinigami walked to the distance. She didn't know why but a smile stretched her face.

"This isn't goodbye." muttered Rukia, "We'll meet again Ichigo... and Ruby."

"There you are." Somehow defying the laws of the Soul King, Kukaku appeared before the shinigami duo, "So you're checking in and leaving tomorrow, huh? Then stay and have dinner with us."

"Well sorry but-"

Ruby winced as Ichigo was dealt a Yang-level punch to his face. She was slightly impressed he didn't fall off his face and got out of it with a nose bleed.

"Wrong answer." growled Kukaku, "You should say 'Yes, I would love to have dinner, Kukaku.'"

"Yes, dinner does sound nice." Ichigo said in submission.

Kukaku turned to Ruby with a sweet smile. "How about you, little rose?"

Ruby visibly paled under the menacing aura she was giving off and raised a shaky hand to her forehead in a salute. "Y-Y-Yes, m-m-ma'am. Dinner with y-you should b-be w-wonderful."

"Good." said Kukaku, "Where is your other friend? Ren, I believe his name was."

Ruby answered. "Oh, I think Ren was invited to the Kuchiki manor for some reason."

Kukaku sighed and beckoned them to follow. Ruby could hear her grumbling something about 'freaking Kuchikis'.

* * *

(Time-Skip)

The next morning, the Rioka left through the Senkaimon. Captain Ukitake handed the shinigami trio badges that marked as "substitute" shinigami. Ruby might've complained a bit and opted for a new name, and so dubbed themselves, or rather herself, pseudo-shinigami.

The moment they entered the Dangai however...

"WHAT THE HELL, YORUICHI?!" screamed Ruby and Ichigo.

They were instantly on the run from the cleaner. Of all the times for it to appear, it just had to be that time. All parties ran for their lives and found themselves in a very familiar setting: up in the air above Karakura Town.

"Landing-"

Unfortunately, Ren and Ruby had no need to initiate a landing strategy when they found themselves on a flying rug commanded by Mr. Urahara and Tessai. Ichigo ranted on at him about putting something as dangerous as the Hogyoku in Rukia, and the man apologized. Good thing Ichigo doesn't hold grudges.

Urahara dropped off the rest of the group until it was Ichigo wanted to get off by a river. Ren decided to stay at the shop, but Ruby hopped off and followed Ichigo. She found the orange-haired shinigami looking at the river. Even though his back was turned, Ruby could feel the mix of emotions from him.

"Hey, Ichigo." said Ruby, slightly nervous, "You, uh, you okay? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong." answered Ichigo in a relaxed tone, "Just that, well, this is where... my mother died."

Ruby felt like she was struck by lightning, and muttered "stupid" under her breath for asking a very sensitive question. She can understand Ichigo's pain on a level. Summer had died when she was a little kid barely starting to walk. There weren't any memories, but she could still feel the pain of the loss.

"I-I'm sorry if I-"

"Seriously, I'm okay." Ichigo interrupted, turning his head to Ruby, "I moved on from it. I just wanted to come here, you know. I know she would be proud."

Ruby smiled. "I'm sure she is."

 _'Come on, Ruby, this is your chance.'_ spoke Summer.

'It's not what you think!' screamed Ruby in her mindscape with a blush coloring her pale cheeks.

 _'Remember who's your Zanpakuto in your mindscape.'_ Summer corrected, making Ruby's blush deepen.

'Now I know how Yang was able to tease so well.' replied Ruby.

 _'She learned from the best.'_ said Summer.

Ruby managed to compose herself, and Ichigo only shrugged off Ruby's sudden weird behavior a moment ago.

"I don't know how much to thank you for helping me keep Rukia safe." said Ichigo.

"I-I'm just glad everyone came out okay." Ruby replied nervously and thought, 'Dammit Ruby stop being a stuttering mess.'

Ruby added. "Besides, I'll always have your back Ichigo. You're my friend after all."

Ichigo smiled. "Thanks. I hope you find a way to return home, and if there's any trouble over there I'd be glad to watch your back."

Ruby lowered her head slightly, a small blush coming back. "I'd love to."

"I'm going to head home." said Ichigo, "Hey, where's your gigai."

Ruby's mouth made an "o" and she reached into her pocket to find a soul candy. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Ruby popped it into her mouth. Once there was a crunch, her Aura flared brightly around her. When she emerged, she was in her human body and had on her signature red hood with the battle skirt she arrived in Karakura Town.

Ruby explained. "Mr. Urahara made a soul candy that reacts with my Aura to create a human body from it. It takes a lot from my reserves, but I regenerate from it quickly."

"At least you won't have to hide your body." said Ichigo. He disappeared from sight and landed on a roof top. After jumping across the rooftops toward his home, Ichigo noted the sound of shunpo. He stopped abruptly and found Ruby behind him.

"Why are you following me?" asked Ichigo.

Ruby laughed nervously and poked her fingers. "I, uh, forget where Mr. Urahara lives."

Ichigo gave a look that spelled 'Seriously?'. After a few moments looking into Ruby's sad silver eyes, he sighed in defeat and beckoned Ruby to follow. He narrowly avoided getting pounced by the Remnanty in a hug.

Now the only thing to worry about on Ichigo was what the hell to do with his dad when he finds out about this. It was going to take more than applying more than a few bruises on the old idiot's face.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap. In the next chapter, it won't be anything too much, just some of the characters getting to know each other. I still don't understand how Ichigo spent a month in the Soul Society and did nothing else for the next two months, so I'm just going go with that being chased by the cleaner sped up that process in the Dangai and they came home at the end of summer. How will Ruby do joining Ichigo in his high school?**

 **Which arc do you want to start?**

 **-The Bount Arc.**

 **-The Memories of Nobody.**

 **Up next is Chapter 17: Boiling the Blood of a Rose (a.k.a Keigo does something extremely stupid)**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	17. Boiling the Blood of a Rose

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 17: Boiling the Blood of a Rose**

The morning sun rays leaked through the windows of Ichigo's room. The unceasing light forced his eyes to open. He sighed and grumbled about forgetting to close the damn curtains. Ichigo would've done anything for maybe give or take 14 hours of sleep in his home instead in the "heaven" that was Soul Society. Physical exhaustion was already taken care of and Ichigo didn't mind it. It was the mental exhaustion between convincing Byakuya and avoiding Kenpachi and other weird crap.

Yeah, Ichigo needed a much longer vacation than any summer could give him.

The smell of breakfast caught Ichigo's attention. He quickly got dressed into his casual wear and headed downstairs. So far, everything was great, mostly because his dad didn't surprise attack Ichigo for at least five minutes. In a rare occurrence, Ichigo was in a genuine good mood. The usual clatter of plates and utensils drew him closer and he couldn't wait to see the faces of his family.

As he expected, yet cherished, there was his family that he had known all his life. Goat-chin was no where in sight, which slightly unnerved Ichigo but it wasn't unusual. Karin was playing as the literal carbon copy of Ichigo as she sat on her end of the table. Ruby was almost drooling with the smell of food in the air. Ichigo could hear Yuzu in the kitchen humming a tune...

"..."

Wait, Ruby!?

Before Ichigo could exclaim why the hell Ruby was in his house, the events of last night came back to him and he gave his usual deadpan face. Of course, when Ichigo got Ruby to his home Goat-chin had to be awake and spout about some crap of Ichigo becoming a man. It took a good fight between the two so the old idiot didn't say something out of context with Ruby present. The last thing he needed was his practical partner thinking he was a pervert or something along the lines. Ruby couldn't fit in the closet Rukia used, but she made use with a red futon she conveniently had one person with her trademark of a rose.

"Yo, Ichigo!" greeted Ruby in her super Yuzu-like manner.

"Good morning." Ichigo deadpanned.

"Did you sleep well?" Ruby asked.

Seeing the concern in her silver eyes actually coaxed Ichigo to put on a better face with a smile. "Like the best thing I ever had."

"That's great." Ruby perked up, "I can't wait to try your sister's cooking."

"Jeez, I can't believe there's two Yuzus in the house." commented Karin, turning her attention to her brother, "Care to explain, Ichigo?"

"You see-" Ichigo explained before the inevitable interrupted him.

"IICCHHIIIIIIGOOOO!" cried Isshin in a "surprise" attack. Ichigo lazily dodged his opening kick, then curled his lip in fury as he returned with a punch on Isshin's face and sent him into the wall.

"Impressive son." groaned Isshin, keeping a pained smile, "With that kind of strength... I have no worries you'll protect your girl-"

Ichigo stomped his foot on Isshin's face and growled. "What the hell, old man?! Don't just attack me randomly. Especially when I'm trying to say something."

Ichigo looked back at the wall and his face contorted with surprise. The whole side of the wall looked like cracked glass, but none of Ichigo's usual punches did that kind of damage. He turned to Ruby, who gave him a look that said 'We'll talk later'.

Ichigo took his seat and Yuzu arrived with a platter of pancakes and another of cookies. Which was strange considering who would have cookies first thing in the morning. His answer came to him when Ruby preyed on the entire platter like a hungry Hollow, her eyes dazzling with satisfaction.

"Did you somehow find Yuzu's older and more childish clone?" Karin half-joked.

"Nme," spoke Ruby before she swallowed, "The name's Ruby Rose."

"Karin Kurosaki." Karin answered, "So explain Ichigo."

"As I was trying to say before Goat-chin interrupted," explained (lied) Ichigo, "Ruby just recently moved here. When I got here, she was totally lost where to go, so I just figured I could let her hang out here for a while till she knows her way around town."

"If that's the case," said Karin, stretching her hand to Ruby, "welcome to Karakura Town. Hopefully you won't find anymore idiots here."

"Thanks!" Ruby chirped, and the two girls shook hands. She went back to eating her platter of cookies like a vacuum. She would stop in between stacks to drink from a whole glass of milk and refilling each time.

"More please." squeaked Ruby, finishing her baker's dozen.

"I'm sorry, but you shouldn't eat like that." said Yuzu.

"Pretty please." repeated Ruby with a cute pout.

'Gagh, this is too cute to be possible.' thought Ichigo.

Yuzu responded with the same pout. "I'm really sorry, but you have to eat healthy."

"You leave me no choice." mumbled Ruby under her breath. She took a deep breath, making sure she was face-to-face with Yuzu. When she opened her eyes, they were wide and puffy with a layer of tears just near breaking point. Ichigo, Isshin, and Karin's jaws dropped as they witnessed the dreaded Puppy Eyes.

'Too much.' thought Ichigo, reminded of the times Yuzu gave the family that look.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting." commented Karin.

Yuzu replied. "Don't think-"

"Pweaty pwease." Ruby squeaked cutely.

'No, not that.' thought Ichigo.

Yuzu started to sweat. "I-I - no-"

Instead of using speech, Ruby's eyes somehow widened more and she responded with a whine. Like a freaking puppy.

"I-"

Another whine.

"I-" The words were starting to get caught in Yuzu's throat.

Another whine, and a tear dripped down Ruby's cheek.

"No I-" Yuzu's was starting to break down and her own tears were starting to fall.

Ruby used a long drawn out little whining cry and a stream of tears went down in her cheeks. That was the final weapon that broke Yuzu down.

"I can't say no!" exclaimed Yuzu, running into the kitchen and bringing out another tray of cookies. Instantly, Ruby glowed with joy and went back devouring her sweet paradiese. Isshin, Ichigo, and Karin's jaws practically smashed into the table at the end of the so-called fight of cuteness.

"Yuzu - lost!?" exclaimed Karin in shock, "She can't be human."

"Son, where did you find this girl?" gasped Isshin, "Anyway, I'm proud of you. She'll keep your heart warm."

"It is not like that." snapped Ichigo with a blush.

Yuzu sat by Isshin, trying to dry the tears from her little contest with Ruby. Her eyes were still puffy as though she had witnessed the most sad thing on Earth.

"You okay, Yuzu?" asked Isshin.

"I..." Yuzu sniffled, "I just couldn't say no. It was like looking at the most miserable puppy that deserved all the love in the world."

"That's kind of... scary." said Karin with a shiver.

"THANK YOU!" screeched Ruby, completely satisfied, "Oh, Ichigo. Can you give me a tour around town later? Maybe introduce me to some of your friends?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Sure."

Isshin giggled. "Make sure you us-"

Before Isshin could utter the next word, Karin and Ichigo used an uppercut to send their father flying into the next room and possibly through a wall. Ruby sweatdropped at the scene, and even more confused how everyone was so casual about it.

"SHUT UP, YOU PERVERTED OLD FART!" shouted Ichigo.

* * *

(Later...)

Ruby and Ichigo were walking along the sidewalk of the street. First, they headed to a clearing in a forest away from public eyes so Ruby could discuss some important issues.

"Okay, Ruby." said Ichigo once they arrived at a private-enough spot, "What is it you want to talk about?"

Ruby smiled. "Check this out."

Ichigo's eyes popped out of their sockets. Reiatsu took form on Ruby's left arm, quickly taking definite shape and color. In the next second, Ruby was wielding her Zanpakuto in her Gigai.

"He-he." Ruby giggled at Ichigo's expression.

"How?" gasped Ichigo.

"It's because of my Gigai." said Ruby, withdrawing her Zanpakuto, "Unlike you, I'm... technically dead, so Mr. Urahara made a Gigai for me. This one works with my Aura so instead of leaving a random body around, the soul candy uses my Aura to construct a brand new one. I can still use my shinigami powers with my Aura and Semblance."

"Lucky you." grumbled Ichigo, then he remembered that Mr. Urahara could wield his Zanpakuto in his Gigai. He paused for a moment, then his lips curled in anger. "That bastard is holding out on me."

"You just realize that?" Ruby deadpanned, "That brings me to another thing."

"Wha-" Ichigo was cut off, literally, by her Zanpakuto after his shoulder. His reflexes saved Ichigo from a direct blow, but he could feel the impact.

"What the hell?!" shouted Ichigo.

"Look at your shoulder." said Ruby.

Ichigo looked with awe as he saw a blue shimmer covering his shoulder. The shirt may have been cut, but the skin was completely untouched.

"Wait, what is this?" asked Ichigo.

"Don't you remember?" said Ruby, bringing up her Aura which shimmered red around her body.

"So this is Aura." said Ichigo, checking himself out as he brought out what he felt was Aura and found the blue shimmer around his body, "This feels really weird."

Ruby smiled. "Neat, right? It'll protect you from practically. I'd say we have so much, we could walk through a speeding train. Wonder if that would work?"

"Let's not test that out." Ichigo deadpanned.

"Sorry." Ruby said, scratching the back of her head, "Not only are you invincible, you're also faster and stronger when you activate it. Then, there are also Semblances."

"How do I do that?" Ichigo asked.

Ruby shook her head. "You have to find it yourself. I mean, my Semblance is speed which I discovered from running from my sister after I, uh - 'redid' her hair. A friend of mine named Nora found hers when she was struck by lightning."

"Uh, okay." said Ichigo, trying to get over that last part.

"You know," said Ruby, "since you have Aura, you could use the same soul candy I use. That way, you don't have to put your body in a closet when it can just turn back into the candy for later."

"I guess that is useful." replied Ichigo, "Want to keep going? You still have no idea to get around town. Maybe later, we can have lunch with some friends from my school."

 _'It sounds like he's offering you a date.'_ Summer teased, making Ruby blush.

"Hey, Ruby?" said Ichigo, a bit concerned since Ruby went all red.

"Y-Y-Yeah, I would like that." Ruby answered with fluster, "Uh, l-lead the way, Ichigo."

* * *

(Orhime's apartment)

After touring around Karakura for the morning so Ruby could know her way around, they now tried to find a home for Ruby to stay. The first that came to mind was Orhime's apartment complex, which wasn't too far from Ichigo's home and Urahara's shop.

"Hi, guys." greeted Orihime finding Ichigo and Ruby at her door.

"Yo." said Ichigo.

"How you doing, Orihime?" asked Ruby.

"Great." perked Orihime, leading them into her home, "So what brings you here?"

"You know Ruby isn't from here," said Ichigo, "so we're trying to find a place for her stay. Your place seemed a good option."

"Really?" said Orihime, clapping her hand together, "Oh, that's great. In fact, there's an open apartment right next to me and Tatsuki. Speaking of..."

"Hey, Ichigo!" called an oddly deep feminine voice. From a room walked a teenager with a white shirt and regular black pants. Her hair was black and spiky and she had tomboy manner around her.

"Who's that?" Tatsuki asked, her attention to Ruby.

"That's Ruby Rose." answered Orihime, "She just moved her to Karakura and is moving with us to live here."

"Odd name." noted Tatsuki, "Oh, I know, you must be a transfer from the United States."

"Y-Yeah." agreed Ruby, extending her hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." said Tatsuki, shaking Ruby's hand, "Huh, you've got a strong grip."

"Thanks." said Ruby, instantly pulling back her Aura.

"You should probably catch up on some Japanese if you're going to live here." Tatsuki suggested "Ichigo, any plans today?"

"Well, I've spent the morning showing Ruby around town, then go have lunch somewhere." briefed Ichigo, "We don't mind if you want to come with."

"Sure, I'll join you." said Tatsuki, "We'll catch up since last month."

Ruby sighed. "Well if that's the case, I'm going run off to get a friend of mine to join us. See ya."

Tatsuki widened her eyes as Ruby sprinted out of eyesight with a burst of Ruby's Semblance, only leaving petals in her wake. The room was blanketed in a silence for a few moments since Ruby left.

"Did she-"

"She's just really fast." answered Ichigo.

* * *

(Some time later at a restaurant)

Ichigo gathered his friends, including Chad and unfortunately Keigo who ended up getting under Ichigo's foot when he tried to hug him. They ordered some burgers and fries, and Ichigo ordered two extra for Ren and Ruby. Before Keigo could ask, the bell of the door rang as out stepped said pair.

"Over here." called Ichigo, waving his hand to get Ruby's attention. There was a zip in the air and Ruby took her seat right next Ichigo. Ren walked over and took a seat on the other side at the very end, followed by Chad then Keigo. Tatsuki sat next to Ruby.

"Glad you could make it." said Ichigo, then pointed to Keigo, "He's Keigo. Just ignore him."

"Hey!" Keigo protested.

"Hello!" Ruby greeted with her signature cute smile, "Tatsuki, Keigo, right there is my friend Ren."

"It is well to make your acquaintance." said Ren.

"Woah, what's with the bruises all over you?" noted Tatsuki. Ren was hiding them well, but not enough from those who could notice such things and squinted eyes.

'What has he been doing?' thought Ichigo, noticing some bruises weren't very mild when he noticed one hidden by his green shirt.

"Ren trains a lot, but I always tell him to not push himself." Ruby half-lied and with some venom aimed at Ren.

"Sorry, it is just somewhat of a routine I do." Ren excused.

"You must be an impressive martial artists if you train like that." said Tatsuki.

"Oh, he's the best." Ruby added, after taking a bite from a burger, "He's like 'wha-cha' and his opponents are like 'Oh please no'."

Tatsuki smiled while sipping from a cup. "Really? I would love to spare with someone if he has such credit."

Ren made a small smile. "Maybe." Then proceeded to stay quiet and eat his meal.

'Everyone's being nice.' thought Ichigo, 'Perfect. Just as long as-'

"You must be from the United States, right?" said Keigo, putting his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands, "I didn't think you would be such a cutie."

'God-#######-dammit Keigo!' thought Ichigo, and outwardly curled his lip in the middle of a scowl.

"Uh, yeah." replied Ruby, "It's nice there, but not enough fresh air you know."

'Crap, its too late to stop him.' thought Ichigo, crushing his cup by accident.

"I promise everything's beautiful here." said Keigo in his usual manner, "But nothing beats those pretty eyes you have. And you look cute in that red cloak of yours. Like Red Riding Hood."

Suddenly, the very universe seemed to stop in silence. Ren almost choked on his drink and visibly paled on that last comment. A massive amount of killing intent descended on the entire restaurant, and all eyes turned to Ruby who shadowed her face. One could swear a pair of piercing red eyes were staring back at Keigo.

"What!?" hissed Ruby coldly.

Keigo started sweating bullets. "Uh, you know, that cape is kind of cute, you know. I mean it's totally not a rip-off from-"

Ruby smashed her hand on the table, splitting it in two. Cold silver eyes stared back at Keigo, twitching with fury that spelled his end. It was like he was staring back at a death goddess.

"I-Ichigo, what d-do I do?" said Keigo.

"Run." Ichigo answered, and Keigo bolted out of the restaurant.

'But you can't outrun Ruby.' thought Ichigo.

In the most rage-induced tone, Ruby bellowed. "I AM GOING TO MURDER THAT BASTARD AS SOON AS I FIND WHERE HE IS."

At that, Ruby ran through the door and after Keigo with petals in her wake. After a few seconds of shocked silence, the group went about their normal business eating their lunch, or whatever was in their hands.

Only Ren was silent. His mind was haunted the last time somebody commented Ruby's cloak as cute. In her mind, it was nothing but awesome. When Cardinal happened to make such a comment as lame to Red Riding Hood, oh the nightmares he had since that day. Ren could still hear Cardinal's screams of agony where Ruby was laying a bloodthirsty beatdown on the larger man.

Ren could remember the faces of everyone present. Blake's eyes were slitted like cats. Weiss' jaw hit the floor if that was possible. Yang actually had a look of pride on her face, but still a hint of fear in her eyes. JNPR were silent in shock, except Nora who cheered Ruby on. Even more when Ruby actually broke Cardinal's legs, and threatened to rip his shoulders unless he admitted that he was wrong.

It took Glynda with her full Semblance to pry Ruby loose from Cardinal, but the mental scarring on everyone was already done. Near the end of the beatdown, they were met with a new side of Ruby that laughed with an evil grin.

Ren made a mental note to never piss off any women unless he wanted to see that look again.

A ringtone caught the table's attention, and Ichigo pulled out a cellphone which was actually a shinigami device in disguise. Seeing whatever message it was, Ichigo leaned over to Ren to keep Tatsuki out of earshot.

"I just got some news." whispered Ichigo.

"What?" asked Ren with a raised eyebrow.

"I called this service from Soul Society to remove and replace my Bankai." said Ichigo, "As an added bonus, I also made plans to get you and Ruby Bankai as well."

"...Why," hissed Ren, "the hell - would you do that?!"

"Because my Bankai-"

Suddenly, the front of the restaurant exploded. Shards of glass flew in every direction, but Ichigo and co. managed to get to some cover to avoid any major injuries. Ren and Ichigo could feel a foreign spiritual pressure just outside and it was likely the source of the explosion.

"Hello," spoke an eloquent, yet deep voice, "I am Baishen from the Bankai Removal Service, and I've come for one Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki."

'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.' thought Ichigo.

'It wouldn't be a normal day without this happening.' thought Ren, summoning Kakushifokkusu.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

(Que "Ditty for Daddy")

Despite the destructive fight caused by Baishen, most of the attention of Karakura Town was drawn to the high-pitched screams of terror from Keigo. People could only see a blur of the brown-haired teenager racing down the sidewalk on a bicycle, absolute terror plastered on his face. His heart was drumming in his ears, and beads of sweat were staining his white shirt.

'I should be fine.' thought Keigo, 'There's no way she can catch up to me.'

By Kami's, or Monty depending which universe, will to screw the man over, Keigo looked back and all color in his face went away. A dust cloud was blowing people away as it approached and at its head was Ruby at high speeds with a look so menacing it promised the eradication of Keigo's soul. Keigo gave a feminine scream, pushing his legs beyond screaming pain. But Ruby was easily catching up with her Semblance.

'She isn't human!" thought Keigo.

"Get back here and take your beating like a man!" bellowed Ruby, her eyes flashing silver in a very Yang-like manner.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." whimpered Keigo, "NO! Please spare me."

"Give me one damn good reason, soon-to-be-six-feet-under!" snarled Ruby, and her voice was so close to Keigo's voice.

 _'Ruby, maybe you should just get him to apologize and let him go'_ Summer suggested sweetly.

Keigo exclaimed. "Okay, okay. Your hood is not a rip-off. The style is totally original. Cool even with the red. If you wore white, it would be really lame."

Summer's attitude took a full one-eighty. _'Oh, he did not! To hell with this asshole. Kill him, Ruby!'_

And right on cue too as Ruby had chased Keigo into a more rural area with no witnesses. With a wicked grin, Ruby summoned her reiatsu and let it glow red and silver on her outstretched left arm.

 **"Cast off the void, Mazazoru."**

The scythe manifested into the real world, held by Ruby in an expert's stance and ready to chop anything to tiny pieces. Keigo witnessed the entire thing, and it was because of the gripping fear that he didn't pass out from shock. Now he knew Ruby wasn't human. She was the death goddess just strolling through town, and Keigo had to be so stupid to piss her off.

As much as he said, no amount of prayer or apologizing would save his soul from the wrath of Ruby Rose.

* * *

 **I'll end it there. At some point, I wanted Keigo to get a good bashing. It just fits him as a character to annoy as many people and be the rightful victim of his actions. And pissing Ruby off was right up his alley. If I didn't write this, I would be laughing. In the next chapter, Ruby will show off her training she has attained from Yoruichi. Hint: It isn't Bankai.**

 **Up next Chapter 18 and potentially the start of...**

 **Drum roll...**

 **The Memories of Nobody.**


	18. Clawing Out

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 18: Clawing Out**

"I lost him?!" snarled Ruby. She dispelled her gigai back into a soul candy in the middle of her chase. A moment ago, Ruby and Keigo were running in a forest. Once Ruby unleashed Mazazoru, they were only stumps and logs in her scythe's reach and the scarring path Ruby left. Keigo had never been so terrified in his life. He wished he was in a nightmare and actually allowed Ruby to take a swing at him. His nerves got the better of him when he dodged the last second, and he realized it wasn't a dream when Ruby left a stinging cut on his neck.

She was so close. So close to making Keigo pay for insulting hoods. They were **not** cute. They were awesome. And just when Ruby was going to deal some sweet justice, a blast of ice came her way from somewhere freezing the forest. Ruby got out of the way of course, but Keigo was no where in sight.

And Ruby was **not** happy about that. In fact, her ears were steaming with growing rage, ready to explode. A voice much like her own was cackling in her mindscape.

"HOW THE #### DID I LOSE HIM!?" shouted Ruby, huffing with anger. After putting a coin in her swear jar, she was left to her still livid state.

'When I find that loud-mouth,' thought Ruby, 'I'll make him wish he shaved Yang bald.'

Mazazoru was vibrating with its own emotions, furious that she was so close to cutting Keigo. They both needed something to push out their anger on.

In answer to unsaid prayers, multiple hollows flooded through Gargantas. They hunted after Ruby with her massive spiritual pressure. However, her silver eyes gazed daggers back at the horde. Her spiritual pressure skyrocketed, sending the hollows to the ground. Most of the weak ones were already flattened with their bones crushed.

"Fine then." said Ruby, taking her signature stance, "Guess I'll rip you all apart."

No matter how many came, they all met with the blade of Mazazoru twirling in an elegant but deadly dance around Ruby. It reminded Ruby of Qrow tested her against a pack of Beowulves one winter ago. She put all her effort in that little fight. But now, such a feat was second nature to Ruby. Slaughtering through Hollows was a literal walk through the forest, her scythe spinning around her in a red blur that chopped all who came too close.

It made Ruby a little giddy on the inside. If she was this strong now, she couldn't wait to get Bankai. A certain maniacal voice in her mindscape cackled in agreement.

Yet, it did not quell the erupting fury that plagued Ruby. She needed to let loose more of her power. Maybe it was time to use _that_ , but none of these Hollows would last a second to satisfy her. She needed who could last long enough to vent her frustration on.

Her senses perked up to familiar rises in reiatsu not too far from her. She recognized one of them instantly as Ichigo, then Ren, Renji, and a few of the Gotei 13 Captains. Among them was a powerful signature on par with a Bankai. Ruby smirked before disappearing in a dash of rose petals. She soon found herself in some ruins. Renji was on the ground with a broken Zapakuto with Ren tending to his wounds, Ichigo was exhausted, and the captains were scattered. In the sky was a tall man made of steel. No, swords! Ruby didn't know if she should feel sickened or fangirling over the sight.

"Ichigo, what's happening?" asked Ruby.

"It's kind of my fault." admitted Ichigo, "I called a Bankai delivery service to get you and Ren a Bankai since you didn't get one. You know, as a thank you."

Ruby felt her cheeks heating up and she could only mutter, "Wow, that's really... sweet of you." She raised her voice once she got back her composure. "Why is he still standing?"

"Long story short." said Ichigo, "No one - is using their FREAKING BANKAI!"

"Then why aren't you?" retorted Ruby.

"Because he took some of my reiatsu and I can't activate it." said Ichigo.

Ruby frowned. "Likely excuse."

"Excuse me." said Baishin, crashing down to the ground, "My business is with Ichigo Kurosaki, and I would be happy to conduct business with you as well. Now run off so you don't get killed, Red Riding Hood."

Ren paled as a dark aura on the level Retsu Unohanna descended on the entire landscape. Shunsui and Juushiro gulped, Hitsugaya never felt so cold, and somewhere Kenpachi was having a funny feeling Unohanna was here. He grabbed Ichigo and Renji with a couple of shunpoes.

"We need to run, _now_!" said Ren, taking the two to a safe distance.

Some of the captains also took a few paces back as they saw Ruby losing it yet again. Her fists were clenched and Mazazoru was glowing an ominous red.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE COMPARE ME TO THAT FAIRYTALE!?" roared Ruby, her reiatsu splitting the ground.

With a growl, Ruby swung her scythe at Baishin who simply held it back with his arm. "Ha, as if a shikai can defeat a bankai."

* * *

(Soul Society)

Captain Kuchiki was going over some paperwork when he suddenly paused when he was struck with this strange feeling.

"I feel as though I must scorn someone." said Byakuya before he went back to his work.

* * *

(Back to the fight)

 **"Shiruba Sukai."**

Upon the chant, the blade of Mazazoru glowed silver and sent an arc of silver reiatsu. Baishin was caught in the explosion but came out without a scratch. He got behind Ruby with shunpo and launched a fist into her back. Ruby bounced off the ground before she anchored her scythe to steady herself, and her Aura already worked to heal the damage.

"That attack wasn't half bad." said Baishin, "Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow me to remove your Bankai."

"I don't have a Bankai." Ruby answered.

"Then I guess you're going to have to Ban-die." stated Baihin before he disappeared with shunpo.

'Wow, that joke is as bad as Yang's.' thought Ruby.

Baishin reappeared in front of Ruby with a forward jab, but Ruby ducked under it his arm. She slashed diagonally from his right flank and enhanced the attack with a reishi blast to recoil the weapon forward. The skin of Baishin wasn't even scratched. He punished by grabbing Ruby's head, smashing her into the ground, then throwing her forward. As she was in the air, Baishin launched a rain of blades.

Ruby utilized hoho to gain footing in the air, and just barely realized the storm of blades flying after her. She used shunpo to avoid the blades, and deflected any that got too close.

"You're too distracted by my wares." yelled Baishin from behind.

Ruby just turned her head to meet a steel fist to her jaw, followed by another to her gut. She coughed out her breath. With a hammer smash Baishin sent Ruby back to the ground. Her Aura was at its limit, and the last of it was used to soften the blow. Sharp pain followed as Ruby's body was at the mercy of a barrage of blades sinking into her shoulders, legs, and arms.

"Ah, you're very strong for someone with just a shikai." said Baishin, grabbing Ruby's head, "Maybe I'll take your Zanpakuto to put it on as a special purchase."

"Dammit, Ruby!" called Ichigo.

Ren charged after Baishin, only to be blown away by a giant blade summoned by Baishin. The blades embedded in Ruby starting to sink deeper, and the pain forcing her to lose consciousness.

'This is really it!?' thought Ruby, 'It can't. I just got so strong. Strong enough to save everybody. I will not die. Not again. I need to get to everyone. I will not die. I have to - live!'

 _ **'Finally...'**_

"Ha-ha-ha." laughed Baishin, raising a blade to finish Ruby off, "All of your power is now mine!"

Before his blade could cut Ruby through her shoulder, her right hand rose up and caught it without trouble. All eyes, including Ichigo and Baishin, widened at the sight. They suddenly shivered as a sickly reiatsu made an appearance from Ruby, stronger than she was before. And the thing that shocked Ichigo and co. the most that it felt like a hollow. It felt like Ichigo's inner Hollow.

 **"Dumbass."** said Ruby, her voice distorted with a subtle cackle, **"This power isn't yours nor is it this idiot's."**

When Ruby raised her head, Ichigo felt the world stop in that one moment. There along with a smile unlike of Ruby was half of a white mask on the right side of her face and continuing to grow. Her eyes were black just like Ichigo remembered from his inner Hollow, but the major difference were the piercing red pupils that made his instincts go out on red alert.

 **"It's - all - mine!"** Faster than Ichigo could see, Ruby's slashed through Baishin's shoulder, freeing her from his grasp. The blades popped out of Ruby as a white substance healed the wounds. 'Ruby' took a moment to check out her surrounding and herself, her smile widening.

Ruby laughed like a witch. **"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. So this is what it's like to live. To breathe air. To feel cold and warm. To have a soul. Finally, I'm free~. Ha-ha-ha-ha."**

"Screw your shikai, I'm not buying from a freak." roared Baishin.

'Ruby' didn't let up that feral smile as she moved in such an erratic motion and avoided every blade that went after her. She twirled and twisted in a strange way, and her scythe let off a deep crimson reiatsu. She swung upwards, sending an arc of crimson and black energy. Baishin waved away the dust cloud. A deep gash went down his torso, a sign he was almost split in two. 'Ruby' was nowhere in sight.

 **"Over here."** Baishin heard the voice right by his ear. He turned in time to see Ruby with that smile inches from his face and her other hand twirling her scythe with a single finger via a hole in the polearm. 'Ruby' slammed the scythe down and erupted a geyser of dark reiatsu big enough to split the horizon.

Baishin was barely battle-worthy when the dust cleared. His steel body was cracked in multiple places, and one of his eyes was blinded by his own blood. 'Ruby' stood not too far, twirling her scythe casually.

 **"So this is what it feels like to have someone else's life in my hands."** said 'Ruby', **"I'm not done playing with you yet. I still have to know how your screams fee-"**

'GET OUT NOW!'

'Ruby' flinched, and her right arm went to the mask to pry it off.

 **"NO!"** cried 'Ruby' frantically, swinging Mazazoru around, **"You can't take this away from me. I will not allow it, Ruby!"**

'This is my body! So get OUT!'

 **"I promise you, Ruby. When I take full control, I'll make sure you're in chains. I'll make sure you see every moment when I kill everyone you love. I'll make sure you hear their screams."**

'You will never have your way.'

 **"AAAHH!"** screamed 'Ruby', turning to Ichigo, **"You! You better not slack off with your host. It would be a real shame if I were to kill Ichigo before you can take control."**

 **'Screw you bitch! I will become King and make you eat those words!'** Ichigo heard a voice scream in the back of his head.

With one more tug, the real Ruby pried the mask off her face. It instantly crumbled into dust, and the cold reiatsu disappeared from her. The effort to get back control left Ruby winded. Baishin made a final stand, determined to finish these shinigami and get profit from all of their Zanpakuto.

"What will you do mow?" said Baishin with a smug grin.

Ruby gave the steel man a stoic look. First, she anchored Mazazoru into the ground, then took off her red hood revealing her commander-in-chief uniform, and tied her red hood to the polearm. She lowered herself closer to the ground, with her hands outstretched.

"I may not have Bankai yet," said Ruby, "but my teacher is the awesome Yoruichi, and she taught me the next best thing."

(Que RWBY ost "Crash and Burn")

Her reiatsu burned around her into a thick silver veil. The reiatsu started to become more static and concentrated around her body. Some streamed into her eyes, producing a lustrous shine in them that put gold to shame. The aura around her condensed till it brimmed around her like liquid-plasma.

 **"Shunko."**

Reiatsu erupted like electricity from her back and ripped through the ground. The air not only got heavier, but also heated. Ruby's eyes glowed with a lightning-like effect that made her quite intimidating. Baishin bit his lip and fired his barrage of blades. Ruby stayed in a relaxed stance. When the barrage came too close, her arms moved in an impossible blur and either deflected or shattered every projectile.

Ruby kicked forward in speeds that sent a miniature thunderclap. The next thing Baishin knew Ruby dug her knee into his gut and shattered his steel body. She followed-up with an uppercut then a high kick that sent Baishin into the air. The moment Baishin regained his bearings, Ruby was already behind him from a burst of pure speed.

'I can't last long in Shunko.' thought Ruby, 'I'll end this now.'

 **"Sutadansu: Fasutosutegi."**

Ruby's right arm moved in an invisible blur delivering uncountable punches by the second that sent a shimmer of light on each impact.

 **"Sutadansu: Dai Ni-dan."**

Ruby now used her left arm and her attacks increased in number and speed.

 **"Dai San Dankai."**

Her right leg added to the onslaught.

 **"Dai Shi Suteji."**

Upon that command, Ruby used all four of her limbs to attack, sending shockwaves and blinks of light with each kick and punch. She attacked with all four at once, pushing back Baishin to set up for a finisher. Her hands clapped together and flattened parallel to the ground where silver electricity and light emitted from her palms.

 **"Buredodoragon."**

Ruby rushed forward with battle with her clapped hands poised like a sword. There was a second of silence as Ruby passed the form of Baishin who soon split in two at his midsection. She gave an impassive look as Baishin died in an explosion, finally released from his Zanpakuto.

'With this power,' thought Ruby, 'with this strength of mine, I will keep everyone safe.'

The strain of Shunko took its toll on Ruby's body. She could barely cling onto consciousness with her mind gone with any energy. Without it, her hoho technique dissipated and she began a slow fall to the ground.

"Somebody catch meee..." Ruby called out tiredly.

Her descent was suddenly stopped and Ruby felt a strong arm around her shoulders and under her arms. Her eyes managed to make out the familiar lock of orange hair of Ichigo. But she was taken back by the lack of a scowl on Ichigo's face replaced with a genuine smile. It made him glow a little. Ruby tried to push that thought aside as that detail trailed to "other" things, and a blush crept on her cheeks.

"Thanks..." said Ruby.

Ichigo softly landed back on the ground and he handed Ruby her cloak and Zanpakuto.

"Rest easy." said Ichigo, "Feeling good? Finally cooled off?"

Knowing what Ichigo was referring to, Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I'm cool now. Stupid Keigo."

Ichigo chuckled as he supported Ruby on her feet. She saw some of the captains taking their leave with the situation over, and Yoruichi was present giving Ruby a look of pride. One of the captains, a petite woman in the same outfit as Ruby was giving a noticeable glare that sent daggers through Ruby. Unknown to Ruby, that was Soi Fon the former apprentice of Yoruichi.

'She's good, but I don't get what makes her worthy of Yoruichi-sama's teachings.' thought Soi Fon with venom.

"One day and we can't get a break." said Ren, twisting an aching shoulder.

"Tell me about it." Ichigo and Ruby said.

Ichigo reluctantly let Ruby go via her pestering that she could stand. The sun was going down already. A thought came to Ruby: Just how long did she chase after Keigo? She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of a drop of water and... crying? Her sharp sense automatically turned Ruby's head to the source, but only found the Zanpakuto that was once fused with Baishin. But the more Ruby looked at it, the more she heard the crying. Ruby didn't realize that she was approaching the blade till she questioned the concept.

Steeling her resolve, Ruby walked closer to the Zanpakuto. When she put a hand on the hilt, she almost broke down in crying herself feeling the intense misery and sorrow. Ruby realized it was the Zanpakuto spirit mourning for the loss of its closest friend.

"What's wrong, Ruby?" asked Yoruichi.

"The Zanpakuto." Ruby whimpered, shedding a tear, "H-He's crying. In the end, it considered Baishin its partner and best friend. But now he's gone, he's left with nothing but misery and sorrow. It-It's so sad. So sad."

'Incredible.' thought Yoruichi, 'She's able to have create a link with another Zanpakuto.'

"Ruby, what will do then?" Yoruichi asked.

Ruby took a moment to think. This wasn't just a blade. It was a person. It was all alone without anyone to care for it. Without anyone to share a purpose. With no doubt in mind, Ruby pulled the Zanpakuto in her grip, getting surprised looks from the shinigami present.

"For now, I'll keep him." said Ruby, "I promise you, Zanpakuto, that I will find a worthy partner for you. One who will prove stronger and give you a better, more righteous purpose."

Yoruichi was shocked. Such a thing wasn't unheard of, but what Ruby was entailing was putting a huge responsibility on her shoulders. She would have to choose very wisely who would be the next partner to that Zanpakuto. At first, the concept scared Yoruichi, but this was Ruby. That girl had a knack of doing things beyond her age.

'I have no doubt you'll do the right thing.' thought Yoruichi.

"Ichigo," said Ruby, "tomorrow, let's make sure we can actually take one day from all this."

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah, I know, it's still summer break and I don't want to waste the next two months."

* * *

 **A bit short than I would've liked, but I at least got to show off Ruby's inner Hollow and her Shunko. The difference between this inner Hollow and Ichigo's is that this one is more clever in how to gain control of Ruby, is crueler, and desires destruction and doesn't rely on instinct.**

 **As for Baishin's Zanpakuto, it will be given to someone on Remnant when she returns along with any other blades she happens to collect. Let me know what Baishin's Zanpakuto's real name and Bankai name could really be in the reviews.**

 **Next up is Chapter 19, and the definite start of Memories of Nobody.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	19. Strawberries with a Side of Roses

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. Rest in peace you saint of a choreography genius. We all still miss you :(**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?**

 **Edited as of 7/19/2019**

 **Chapter 19: Strawberries with a Side of Roses**

 _About a month and a half later..._

Over the past month living in Karakura Town, Ruby felt she was back in Patch living happily with her dad, sister, and Uncle Qrow. Everyone, except for some thugs that Ichigo beat around, was really nice. With some help from Mr. Urahara, and strangely Isshin, Ruby got herself her own apartment with Tatsuki and Orihime. She couldn't ask for better neighbors. Orihime and Ruby immediately clicked like there were long-lost sisters, and Tatsuki was very supportive and friendly. Everyday Orihime invited Ruby and occasionally Tatsuki to either lunch, dinner, or all three meals per day of Orihime's cooking. And Ruby's judge of her food...

It was so delicious that the first time she tried, Ruby's eyes were sparkling the whole day. If only she could've seen the look on Tatsuki's face.

'Oh Kami, there's two of them.' thought Tatsuki.

Tatsuki and Ichigo also helped Ruby getting a feel with the local language of Japanese since not everyone was fluent with English as a second language they practically drilled them in Karakura. She made some slow progress, but was able to get a good grasp on proper suffixes and greetings. Ruby groaned inwardly reminded of the days Weiss pushed studying onto Ruby whenever they were falling behind on classes, especially history with Professor Oobleck.

Isshin would randomly invite Ruby over for dinner, which she graciously accepted. The weird thing was whenever she got to the house and to the kitchen she was the first to the table. Then, it got even weirder when Ichigo was the one to enter the kitchen and no one else. It always made this strange tension in the room between them, and Ichigo always ended these dinner invitations with an angry scowl on his face that confused Ruby. Unknown to her, Yuzu and Isshin were spying on them waiting for sparks to fly.

"Dammit, she's as dense as Ichigo." cursed Isshin under his breath.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU OLD FART!" bellowed Ichigo when he discovered Isshin's spying spot, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

It was moments like that Ruby made herself absent with a burst of her Semblance. After a few times being invited again, Ruby realized the implicit nature in them. So now she declined every invitation afterwards with a huge blush on her cheeks.

 _'At least they're trying something while I'm stuck in here.'_ said Mazazoru, _'Really, Ruby. People are practically putting on a show so you can click with such a great man as Ichigo. You can't avoid this for-'_

'STOP IT, PLEASE!' Ruby pleaded in her mindscape, her face as red as her cloak.

 _'Yang knew how to have fun.'_

'Bite me.'

 _'Impossible yet tempting.'_

Ruby spent most of her time at Kisuke's underground training basement to achieve Bankai. According to the former shinigami, Ruby was making amazing progress and would definitely achieve Bankai in the coming fall or sooner. It also helped steel Ruby's composure from Summer's constant cooing to get a rise out of Ruby, and which the Zanpakuto mother hid a look of pride in her daughter for that. She found herself wielding Mazazoru in her sealed form more comforting the more she practiced, her hakuda and Shunko got some decent improvement thanks to Yoruichi, and her Kido gained a jump in progression thanks to Ren.

Speaking of the Remnantie, Ren decided to stay at Kisuke's shop as his home. Ever since they came back from Soul Society, Ren was putting himself through hell mastering every branch of combat from hakuda to kido, which he went milestones through shocking Kisuke. To him, Ren's potential was scary and he would make a low captain-class like Toshiro (sorry, not sorry) piss his pants with his spiritual pressure alone. It was almost like looking at another Aizen with this much raw, yet calm power.

The reason for Ren's training was not only to achieve his Bankai. That was a side goal to him. The real reason was Aizen himself. Ruby didn't quite understand that drive or rather Ren's hate of the man. Yes, Aizen is a very dangerous man, but it was like Ren had some sort of vendetta. She didn't pry on it too much and Ren wasn't anywhere close to losing himself. He was still Ren.

It was morning of the 22nd of August, and Ruby awoke without so much as a stretch or a yawn. While her body was nice and relazed, Ruby had spent the whole night in her mindscape. First, she and Summer had to put some restraints on the Grimm Ruby for that outburst a month ago, but she proved to be getting too powerful as she just screamed them away. Most of the night was Summer trying to get Ruby to admit certain... feelings. That night Summer was dead serious, no teasing or pestering, and basically interrogated Ruby's admittance out the whole night. After a few hours, which was days in Ruby's mindscape, she finally conceded to Summer.

Ruby has a crush on Ichigo.

Of course, Summer knew it since she could read Ruby's thoughts. She just needed Ruby to admit with words. With a smirk, Summer went on to Phase 2 of her plan to set in motion. What plan one would ask? Like mother, like daughter, Summer had her plans in a binder and poster with doodles titled: "Awesome and Ingenious Plan to Get Grandchildren." Luckily, Ruby didn't see it.

'I don't know about this.' thought Ruby.

 _'Just like we planned, petal.'_ Summer replied, having a very hard time holding in her giggles and excitement, _'I'll be with you to guide the way, but you've got to make the gears turn.'_

'But-'

 _'No buts.'_ Summer said, _'Just go with the flow. Trust me.'_

Ruby sighed deeply before she lifted herself out of her bed, revealing her in a red tank-top with white, sleeping pants with red polka-dots. She paused before the body length mirror to look at her reflection. The first word that came to Ruby's mind was beautiful.

The intense training in the shinigami arts removed every last bit of body fat on her face, making her face more lean. She almost mistook herself for an older women in her bare 20s at the mature complexion, further enhanced by her glimmering silver eyes. Her hair, no longer choppy, reached below her neck and highlighted the red tips of her hair from the usual dark coloration, especially a ruby lock of hair just above her left eye. Her curves were more defined due to her now toned body that was built for more than endurance. Ruby could swear she had grown a couple of inches over the month.

 _'You're growing up into a very beautiful woman.'_ Summer said soothingly.

"...Yeah." Ruby said outloud, "Hmph, wonder what Yang or Dad would think right now?"

 _'Knowing him, your father would probably try to punch Ichigo through a tree.'_ Summer said, _'That is if he could get passed you.'_

'Ichigo's a tough guy, so he would stand his ground and fight him instead.' replied Ruby, 'It'd be cool to watch too.'

Ruby changed into an all-out black outfit with thin pants, long-sleeved shirt similar to her top in Remnant but without a skirt, and very light bands of black leather on her arms. Even in public, Ruby couldn't help but have some hint of a fighter to her.

Ruby didn't bother to eat breakfast and walked to the Kurosaki home with a reluctance in her step. Outwardly, she looked contempt, maybe solemn as she dragged her feet forward. Inwardly, Ruby was panicking at a growing frequency with her rising heartbeat.

'I can't do this.' thought Ruby frantically when Ichigo's home came into view, 'I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this.'

 _'Yes you can, yes you can.'_ cheered Summer with gusto.

 ** _'If I could kill myself, I would've done it right now to escape this stupid mess you are.'_ **Grimm Ruby grumbled.

BONK!

Ruby ignored the bickering in her mindscape as she approached the door. Time seemed to slow down as Ruby's hand reached to the doorbell.

'I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this.' thought Ruby, 'I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T DO THIS!'

Fortunately, the door opened for Ruby and she stood before Isshin.

"Hey, Ruby, how may I help you?" asked Isshin, disclosing the honorific since Ruby wasn't used to Japanese yet (a.k.a me).

"Well I, uh," stuttered Ruby, lowering her head, "was wondering if, uh, I-Ichigo was home. I wanted to a-ask him on a - I mean I, uh, wanted to ask him something.'

Isshin gave Ruby a friendly smile as he allowed Ruby inside. Inwardly, he was a giggling mess.

'I know that look!' thought Isshin with a squeal, 'Finally, my dear Masaki-chan, a girl who has the guts to ask our son out! I swear, my love, I will get them together if it's the last thing I do in this life of mine!'

As Ruby walked into the house, the air started to feel thin to her. Her breathing was ragged and her heart was racing like never before.

'Maybe he isn't here.' thought Ruby. Unfortunately, Kami had other plans.

"Yo, Ruby." greeted the strong voice of Ruby's crush.

Ruby's head swiveled in the direction like it was rusted. Upon first sight of Ichigo, Ruby began shaking uncontrollably and a deep blush flooded her entire head. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at Ruby's strange behavior.

 ** _'Ha, she's gonna chicken out.'_** laughed Grimm Ruby.

BONK!

 ** _'Quit it, Mom.'_**

It was now or never, maybe at least to prove her evil self wrong.

"I-I-I was w-wondering," stuttered Ruby, poking her fingers but keeping eye contact with Ichigo, "if you would like t-to go out l-later t-t-today?"

From another room, Isshin was gesturing to Yuzu and Karin to record the scene.

Not seeing the nature in it, Ichigo replied. "Sure, who else is coming along?"

"That dense idiot." hissed Karin.

 ** _'REALLY!?'_** cried Hollow Ichigo.

Ruby felt her heart sink, but shook her head. "No! I don't mean that. I w-want it to be - just the two of us. Because I want you to go on a - a - a..."

Finally, Ichigo was getting the message if evidenced by the slight blush in his cheeks. "Ruby, do you mean... a date?"

Ruby gulped down whatever hesitation or fear she had to harden her gaze at Ichigo to show her absolute truth.

"...Yes." Ruby confirmed in a soft but firm tone.

There was no way to describe Ichigo's face except pure shock. In his mindscape, the clouds moved away from the sky and the sun shined down with brighter light and warmth that put a smile on Zangetsu. There wouldn't be anymore rain anytime soon.

"W-Woah... Ruby." said Ichigo, trying to get the words out, "I didn't know or... You know what? Yeah, I guess we can go out on a date."

Ruby's eyes widened and swelled with tears of joy. "Really?"

Ichigo nodded. "Really."

At that moment, Isshin ran out the backdoor and praised to the heavens in victory, cheer, and celebration. Yuzu and Karin sweatdropped at their father, but who could blame him? The curse of ignorance upon Ichigo was finally broken.

The next Ichigo knew, Ruby trapped him in a spine shattering hug and her face snuggling in his neck. She mumbled a thousand "Thank you"s before she realized what she was doing. How close they were, and how warm and comforting Ichigo felt. Ruby backed off with a massive blush and her eyes glued to the floor.

"Th-Thank you." said Ruby, "Uh, wh-where and when would we meet?"

"I-I was thinking the mall." said Ichigo, struggling with his own blush, "I know a nice place there. Want to - meet up at four in the afternoon?"

Summer, in Ruby's mindscape, did nothing but holler. _'YES, YES, YES, YES, YES. YEESSS!'_

"Yes!" Ruby did nothing but shout, "Well, I, uh, I will...I lik- I lo...um... Bye!"

Ruby ran faster than she had ran in her life with her Semblance. Ichigo couldn't help but stare at the spot she was, entranced by the rose petals she left in from her Semblance. He didn't realize until now how perfect a shade of red they were.

'... Does she really like me?' thought Ichigo in question.

 ** _'Finally, Kingy gets it.'_ **Hollow Ichigo hollered, **_'Maybe you won't be a vi-'_**

BONK!

 ** _'OWWW!'_**

 _'Don't ruin the moment.'_ Zangetsu spat, _'Ichigo, I would suggest to prepare yourself for your... special rose later today.'_

'Yeah.' Ichigo responded.

Ichigo couldn't believe it. He was going on a date. A date! And with someone who most likely showed such strong affections back that he never thought any girl would give him.

Maybe... Just maybe this could work out.

* * *

(Time-Skip)

"You nervous?" asked Tatsuki, fitting a knot from behind. Ever since Ruby asked Ichigo out, she turned to Tatsuki the moment she saw her. She was more than happy to help Ruby with her special day. Tatsuki picked a simple, but beautiful red dress with a rose engraving in on the stomach, the back open, black strips on the shoulders, and black sleeves with red designs of red vines and petals. Her legs were bare, showing their toned elegance and she wore red and white high heels.

"Terrified." Ruby answered.

"I can't blame you." said Tatsuki, finishing with the knot and twirling Ruby around to face her, "A lot of girls before you have tried to get close to Ichigo. Of course, he was too dense to notice the signals coming after them, but then again none of them were brave enough like you to ask him out on a date."

"Thanks, Tatsuki-san." said Ruby.

Tatsuki smiled as she fitted something on Ruby's head. "You're getting better with your suffixes... Ruby-san. Though it is okay just to call me Tatsuki. And done. Take a look."

Tatsuki directed Ruby to a mirror and her silver eyes slightly widened. The makeup Tatsuki borrowed from Orihime made Ruby's cheeks dusted with pink, and the pale skin seemed to shine. Her hair was combed to the sides, with the bangs above the left side of her forehead in a brilliant red compared to her dark hair and kept in place by a simple hairpin of a white and red rose. It wasn't over the top, but it definitely get Yang cooing over her if she was here.

"Ready?" asked Tatsuki, getting a nod from Ruby, "Go fight for him."

 _'Finally, my little Ruby is growing up.'_ Summer squealed to herself, _'And soon, I'll finally have grandkids.'_

 ** _'She's a sadist because of you, you know that?'_** said Grimm Ruby.

 _'I have no idea what you're talking about.'_

 ** _'You both gawk over weapons, make some of world's most deadly killing machines like it's your favorite toy, and yet people call me crazy.'_**

* * *

(Time-Skip)

The only difference taking the path to Ichigo's house was that Ruby had no fear or hesitation in her body language or step. She was determined to see this day through how she wanted it.

As Ruby approached the door, she could hear a scuffle from behind the walls followed by a familiar scoff that brought a smile to Ruby's face. Only one person could make that kind of scoff. Ruby learned he had a scoff and a scowl and everything, even ones that showed he was in a good mood. This one showed his flustered state.

The door opened and Ruby was greeted with the visage of Ichigo in a black vest, black pants with a black belt, and a white shirt with a black tie. His hair was less spiky and more neat, but it was very stubborn to keep it that way.

While Ruby smiled warmly at her crush, Ichigo was silently marveling sight of Ruby. He realized how much she changed from the once perceived child-like teenager he met a month ago into this woman who was no less beautiful. Her cheeks were thinned elegantly to show the smoothness of her porcelain skin and silver eyes that just radiated something akin to warmth. Like her gaze was washing the darkness away and filling it with light.

"So, uh, do you want to walk or..." Ichigo asked only to get too flustered to think of the next words.

"Walking hasn't stopped me yet." said Ruby, motioning her body to the side for Ichigo to stand by.

"Oh, my dear Masaki-chan," Isshin praised to the poster of Ichigo's mother, "how can I convey this wonderful moment of our son's life to you?"

"COULD YOU STOP BEING WEIRD FOR ONCE, GOAT-CHIN!?" Ichigo shouted before he slammed the door and walked with Ruby to the mall.

No matter the distance or event, neither of the pair couldn't help but smile in the company of the other. On occasion, they would fidget in physical contact with each other, especially when Ruby moved her hand to grab Ichigo's. They stayed like that the whole way to the mall.

They arrived at a chinese-themed restaurant with red paper lanterns hanging above them. They sat outdoors and got a seat lucky enough to the view of a gorgeous lake garden with lily-pads,koi fish, a waterfall, and a Chinese gate standing on a miniature island with the calligraphy of "water" written in both Chinese and Japanese.

Before they could order, a waiter brought them a bowl of soup for two decorated with kanjis. Dumbfounded, they told the waiter they didn't order yet but only got a wink back. When they noticed what the kanjis on the bowl meant, they both blushed red, and a scowl and tick mark formed on Ichigo's face.

'This has Goat-chin written all over it.' thought Ichigo, 'He better not be taking pictures or I am going to...'

Ruby had similar thoughts as well. 'I can't help but feel Yoruichi has a play in this.'

Their suspicions were right. From a far off corner were the two culprits with crap-eating grins on their faces. Isshin had a camera recording the whole thing and Yoruichi was trying her hardest not too laugh.

"We're so cruel, aren't we?" said Isshin.

"Of course we are, Isshin." said Yoruichi, failing to hold in a snicker, "This is just as much fun as it was with my little bee."

Ichigo and Ruby gave in and ate in their admittedly delicious meal. The noodles and broth were oddly sweet and the meat was so tender it made Ruby's mouth water even more. As they ate, the pair felt the world was giving them their own time just so they could enjoy the moment alone with the beauty of the lake garden and the meal they were sharing. Despite the serenity, Ruby immediately noticed the moment Ichigo stopped eating and had a nervous look on his face with his hand behind his back.

"Ichigo, is something wrong?" asked Ruby with a hint of worry in her voice.

Ichigo sighed and muttered. "Here goes nothing."

In a blur of motion that caught Ruby off guard, Ichigo held out a bouque of white and red roses tied in a black ribbon etched in gold. Ichigo tried to avoid eye contact with a huge blush on his cheeks. Ruby's eyes widened, her cheeks heated, and her heart increased a few beats higher. The seconds felt like hours as none of them moved. Slowly, Ruby reached out a shaky hand and accepted the roses.

"Wow." Ruby gasped, "T-Thank you, Ichigo. This is... really sweet."

Ichigo finally had the guts to face Ruby but the blush was still there. "Well, I thought the roses seemed to fit you, you know."

"How did you have on person the entire time?" asked Ruby curiously.

"Goat-chin shared a family secret." Ichigo grumbled with an annoyed scowl.

Ruby chuckled. "You mean forced?"

Ichigo allowed a smile to creep up. "At least you understand, Ruby."

Ruby smiled warmly. "You know, I can practically tell what your feeling with your scowling. You have one for every expression that it is almost funny and impressive that you've made them."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Really? What does this scowl show you?"

"My honest answer." said Ruby, studying the scowl that Ichigo put on, "You are... slightly annoyed, but I also want to say very pleased and generally happy. Like really happy."

Ichigo gaped at Ruby's spot on analysis. He thought he was hiding his expressions and emotions really well. No one had been able to read him, much less approach him because of how frightening his overall attitude could be.

"Well damn." said Ichigo, getting a laugh from Ruby that he had to admit in his mind was cute.

 ** _'Took the words right out of my mouth, Kingy.'_** commented Hollow Ichigo.

'Why are you still here?!'

 ** _'Like I'd miss out on this.'_**

BONK!

'Thank you, Zangetsu.'

 _'No need to thank me.'_

"Hey," said Ichigo, "want to walk around town a bit before it gets dark? Maybe around the park if you would like?"

Ruby nodded. "Sure, Ichigo."

When the walked together, there was this undeniable sense of closure between them that just couldn't waver the smiles on their face. With each step, Ruby inched closer to Ichigo till she suddenly rested her head on his shoulder. Ichigo fidgeted a little but didn't push Ruby away.

"Is it okay if I stay like this?" asked Ruby softly.

"No." answered Ichigo, "I don't mind."

And stay Ruby did, wrapping an arm around Ichigo's. She never wanted to leave his side. Ichigo felt so warm, and she had this feeling that she was protected and safe from everything the world offered in punishment and harm.

 _'Ruby, you have definitely found love.'_ Summer said with tears of pride on her face.

Meanwhile, Grimm Ruby was banging her head against the side of a tree at Summer's antics.

The wonderful mood turned sour when they heard the sniffle of a child and glass shattering. Ruby and Ichigo snapped their heads to see a trio of thugs walking casually with smug looks. There was a plus on the sidewalk right by them, a boy of seven by the looks of it, shedding tears. At his feet was a knocked over bottle, a crunched up flower, and a shattered family photo of the kid with a woman.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. And it made Ruby and Ichigo more than pissed off at the sight. Zangetsu and Mazazoru were silently seething.

Their fists clenched in rage, and their teeth could almost shatter at how much they were clenched. Then, Ruby's face took on a smile, but one that gave off a cold aura and promised nothing but pain. She looked back at Ichigo, who had such a similar expression.

"Ichigo," said Ruby sweetly, but in comparison to the violent mood around them, "I have my right hand occupied. Would you lend me your left?"

"I'd be happy to." said Ichigo, "Should we give them a little warning?"

"Hey pinheads!" Ruby called.

"Wha-" Before the thug in the middle could respond, his face was cratered by the fists of Ichigo and Ruby. The other two reacted immediately to retaliate while Ruby and Ichigo stood back to back. Ichigo grabbed his opponent's head and tossed it back, which met Ruby's left elbow. The remaining thug threw a fist that Ruby easily ducked. Ichigo grabbed the guy's arm and broke it with a satisfying snap while Ruby drove her left fist into the thug's jaw sending him careening down the sidewalk with blood flowing out of his mouth.

Ruby finally realized why Yang found it _sooo_ good beating low-lives with fists alone.

The first one the duo knocked was gaining his bearing but Ichigo and Ruby pinned him down with the former's foot on his back and Ruby forcing the thug to look at the plus' memorial, who was looking at the scene with wide eyes.

"What do you see here?" Ruby asked sweetly, but did nothing to mask her killing intent.

"A-A bottle and some glass."

Ruby bashed his face into the ground, just hard enough to break the thug's nose.

"You see," Ruby corrected, "this 'bottle and some glass' you refer to is a monument to a boy. A sweet boy probably no older than seven who died not too long ago! They were gifts given to him by his family who still mourn his passing! Because he died young and deserved a full and happy life before cruel fate had to step in! And it is scum like you that are imbeciles who ignore all this!"

Ruby tossed the thug into a wall with impressive strength and loomed over him like the death goddess she is. "If I ever see you do any kind of vandalism again, I'll make sure you can't even crawl out of the hospital, that is if you are lucky they treat scum like you. Un-der-stand!?"

The thugs quickly nodded and dashed down the sidewalk leaving a dust cloud in their wake. Ruby stood on the spot, her arms and shoulders shaking with boiling rage. Her vision was going red. Actually, her pupils were turning red, and the white of her eyes were turning black. The subtle Hollowfication was stopped when a familiar warm hand pressed on Ruby's shoulder.

"Hey, thugs will be thugs and idiots will be idiots." Ichigo said, "If they do it again, we'll just beat them senseless."

"You're right." Ruby perked up, "That did feel good."

"Thank you."

Ichigo and Ruby turned to the voice and found the plus looking up at them with awe. Ruby crouched down to the boy's level and rested a hand on the boy's head. Being spiritually aware and a shinigami allowed Ruby to have physical contact with the plus.

"It's okay." said Ruby, "Everything's fine."

"My sister always came here to bring flowers and tell about her life." said the plus, "She moved not too long ago and those were her last gifts."

Ruby's smile turned into a sad frown. She picked up the bottle and set it on straight. The original flower was too crunched up, so Ruby pulled a rose from her bouque and set it in the bottle.

"There you deserve a nice flower-"

Ruby was interrupted when the plus jumped on her into a sweet hug. She returned the sweet gesture back, taking note of every thank you the plus said. Ichigo watched the scene unfold with a smile he never thought he would make in years.

 _'Ruby is definitely a rare soul.'_ Zangetsu noted.

'Yeah, she is.'

"It makes me happy," the plus said as it started to glow blue, "that other people like you are still so nice. Maybe now I can go on knowing that you are out there helping others as much as you can."

Ruby couldn't help shed a single tear as the plus glowed blue till he disappeared, finally moving on from the Living World into the Soul Society. Ruby turned back to Ichigo with another tear falling down her cheek but a smile on her face. Unexpectedly, Ichigo reached a finger out and swiped the tear from Ruby's face.

"I don't think tears belong on that face of yours." said Ichigo.

Ruby laughed. "Didn't take you for a charmer."

"I'm not; just being honest." said Ichigo.

It was his turn to be surprised as he barely registered Ruby jumping up to his face and planting a kiss on his cheek. He stared at Ruby, who had a blush, and touched the cheek with a hand. It was oddly warm.

"I had a really great time, Ichigo." said Ruby, her face now a shade of red from her bold action.

"I-I did too." Ichigo admitted, "And I wouldn't mind doing this again. I really mean it."

Ruby could only smile warmly at Ichigo. The more she stared, the more she felt safe with Ichigo. She didn't want to ever leave him for the world. To Ichigo, Ruby was like a beacon of light so bright he didn't want it to dim its shine. He couldn't imagine a world without her bubbly attitude.

Suddenly, Ruby's smile turned into a confused yet concerned expression as she leaned to the side to look behind him, and Ichigo following his gaze and his eyes widened slightly.

Ruby said. "What the-"

"-heck are those?" Ichigo finished as they looked at a horde of what looked like the literal descriptions of ghosts in nothing but white like they were a white fluffy blanket and had red pointy heads. But they couldn't ignore this strange feeling they got from these supposed spirits.

Ruby and Ichigo sighed in unison. "Well, guess that ends our date."

* * *

 **This was my first time writing this kind of chapter and I hope it turned out well. I want Senna, Ichigo, and Ruby to click as good friends rather than what happened in canon.**

 **Next is Chapter 20.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	20. Not a Thing

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 20: Not a Thing**

"Why couldn't we just go a day without dealing with this crap?" Ruby whined as she sliced through a line of these - ghosts(?) - with her scythe. They felt no different than the air itself, but her instincts were telling her to stay away from them. Ichigo had no problem too dealing with these ghosts. Their gigai was dispelled into a soul candy that Ruby gave to Ichigo to make his shinigami duties more manageable. To say Ichigo was happy about it was an understatement.

"I think it's because we're cursed." Ichigo answered, twirling Zangestu by the cloth and taking out all the ghosts in front of him with a single swing, "We can't do anything that is possibly normal."

"And it was such a good date too." Ruby sighed.

 _'Hey, I call that a success.'_ Summer said.

Ruby grumbled. "One day-"

"-that's all I ask." said Ichigo.

Summer cooed. _'Aww, you two are finishing each other's sentences.'_

'I'm shutting you off.'

Ruby had to admit she was having fun cutting down these hordes. She was addicted to the rush of wielding Mazazoru in her hands and dancing around with danger in her every swing and step. Ichigo while not as fast made up with destructive capabilities creating crevices with simple swings with Zangetsu. Normally, he would use so much spiritual energy by accident and created devastating attacks that would've leveled houses. Fortunately, Ruby was giddy to see what Zangetsu was capable of and more than asked Ichigo to train with her over the past month and occasionally asking tips for Bankai.

And Ichigo couldn't ask for a better tutor and sparring partner.

 **"Getsuga Ransu."**

Ruby's creative mind didn't just apply to weapons but also moves too. It just so happened to be very useful for Ichigo that her mind turned to Zangetsu's ability to manipulate reiatsu into energy attacks. **Getsuga Ransu** was a thinned out version of the **Getsuga Tensho** that provided more piercing power like a lance at the expanse of a wide range. Since then Ichigo was more motivated to find more ways to use Zangetsu, especially if he could find ways to cause less destruction to his own town.

"Now that was awesome." Ruby almost squeaked.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Ichigo retorted as they stood back to back, "Just what the heck are these things? They keep appearing out of thin air."

Ruby and Ichigo lifted Mazazoru and Zangetsu above their heads, their blades glowing with silver and blue reiatsu. First, Ichigo pierced his Zanpakuto into the ground.

 **"Tsuki no Hogo."**

A dome of blue reiatsu surrounded the pair and protected them from the approaching horde. Another variant of the **Getsuga Tensho** that fitted with Ichigo's will to protect. The dome was practically impenetrable due to Ichigo's vast amount of spiritual energy. Next, Ruby slammed her scythe into the ground with the muzzle giving off a red glow.

 **"Bara no Sho."**

Mazazoru had its own variant of moves. **Bara no Sho** lets off an explosion and covers the ground in red reiatsu that would burn like fire on contact with any opponent she deems a threat. Combined with **Tsuki no Hogo** sets off a tremendous explosion comparable to a high-level cero from an Adjuchas and potentially Vasto Lorde when honed. When the blast cleared, the pair were allowed some breathing room only to groan when even more of these "ghosts" appeared.

"God-"

Ruby's words were cut off when a powerful gust of wind made the pair shield their eyes. They could hear the swish of steel through the air and a dancing figure in the horde cutting them down. When Ruby and Ichigo took a closer look, they saw it was a shinigami. A girl at their age with dark purple hair spiked up in a bundle with a red ribbon tied around her waist. The wind moved in the same way with her movements bringing up oak leaves. She even ascended into the air carried by a tornado.

"Who is she?" Ruby wondered.

 **"Bring them to the twilight, Mirokum-"**

Before the shinigami could finish her release command, Ichigo stopped her by using shunpo and clashing with her Zanpakuto. Ruby felt a mix of anger and confusion of why Ichigo did that.

"There's no need to do that." said Ichigo, "These things are not hollows."

"Out of my way." said the shinigami, stepping off by planting her foot on Ichigo's face.

Ichigo fell back to the ground as the shinigami dealt with the ghosts. Ruby turned to Ichigo to see the common scowl of annoyance and frustration.

"Did she just use my face as a stepping stone?!" Ichigo ranted.

Ruby could only giggle uncontrollably at Ichigo's little dilemma he put himself in. Her laughter elicited a twitch in Ichigo's left brow.

"It's not that funny." Ichigo grumbled.

"It really is." said Ruby before she devolved into full-blown laughter.

Before they knew it, the shinigami dealt with the threat of those ghosts by casting a few tornadoes with her Zanpakuto. Their thoughts turned back to said shinigami when they heard her voice. To their surprise, the shinigami was in a gigai of a human girl wearing a brown coat and short skirt. She was currently doing a victory dance that Ruby would've joined. Her face turned to a frown when the shinigami turned around and saw Ichigo.

"Oh great." the shinigami whined, "It's the jerk, and his girlfriend."

Ruby was too flustered to reply due to a heavy blush coloring her pale cheeks from the statement.

"You!" Ichigo exclaimed, "How did you turn into your gigai so fast?!"

The shinigami just shrugged.

Ichigo gave a growl of frustration. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm a shinigami."

"But who are you?!" Ichigo pestered, pacing closer with twitching fingers.

"If you want to know someone's name," the shinigami noted, "it's best to introduce yourself."

Ruby put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder to calm him down from his impending eruption of frustration. They looked back at each other before Ichigo backed down with his usual scowl. Ruby wanted to giggle that he literally had a scowl for everything.

"There's no need to be so suspicious." said Ruby, playing the diplomatic, "You helped us and I'm very grateful. My name is Ruby Rose, and the scowling artist here is Ichigo Kurosaki."

The shinigami smiled. "My name is Senna."

Ruby spaced out when Mazazoru put in her own note.

'What's wrong, Mom?' Ruby asked.

 _'I'm not sure.'_ Summer said, _'There's something off about her. She's no ordinary shinigami that's I know for sure. Try to stick with her while I try to contact her Zanpakuto to get some answers. Remember to keep your eyes bright.'_

Ruby nodded inwardly and turned her attention back to Senna.

"Do you have any plans today?" asked Ruby, putting Senna in deep thought.

Ichigo glanced to Ruby with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked.

"What?" Ruby replied innocently with cute wide eyes, "We can hang out as a trio. We'll put our... date on hold till you ask me out again."

The reminder of the date put a blush on Ichigo's cheeks and he turned away from her gaze.

"I want to play some tag." spoke Senna once finished from her thoughts.

Out of all the things the pair thought, a game of tag was not what came to mind at all. Ruby was the first one to break out of her stupor.

"Sure." answered Ruby, "So who's-"

"You're it." Senna cried after tagging Ruby and dashing off.

Ruby rushed after Senna with her Semblance but to her amazement only caught air. Senna rounded a corner at the very edge of Ruby's line of sight. A grin was plastered on the scythe-wielder's face. This was going to be fun.

"Hey where are you going?" Ichigo cried out trying to chase down his closer-than-friend.

"Gonna have fun." Ruby replied, dashing away, "You go to Kisuke and ask about those ghosts."

Before Ichigo could argue further, Ruby disappeared in a show of red petals. Ichigo scoffed and walked away with his signature annoyed scowl.

'Why does stuff like this happen to me?' Ichigo thought.

* * *

(Time-Skip)

Ruby couldn't remember having so much fun in a game of tag. It wasn't like Senna was fast. Her movements were too linear to catch Senna who moved like a wave of water through the crowds and streets. Once in a while, Ruby was able to tag Senna only to stall the inevitable to get tagged again. Their game lasted through the afternoon and the sun already sunk down the horizon. The night sky descended onto Karakura Town in the mall district.

Ruby was running on the rooftops of the district. No one could spot even the red hood dancing in the wind due to the stealth skills Yoruichi had started to train Ruby in, if only a little. A certain former apprentice of the Shihoin felt like she wanted to stab Ruby at the moment. It also proved useful tracking down Senna who put on a street show. As soon as she disappeared in a storm of autumn leaves similar to Ruby's Semblance, Ruby sprang into action and pinned her down.

"Ha-ha, got you." Ruby cheered in victory.

Senna laughed. That's right, you got me. You win."

"We've got to hang out more like this." Ruby said, picking up Senna, "I've never had that much fun like that in a long while."

"Agreed." said Senna, "Friends?"

"Is there a question to it?" Ruby answered with a fake scoff and the two shook hands.

"There you two are."

Ruby whipped her head around to the voice to find a head of orange hair followed by the casual scowl of Ichigo. Her cheeks blushed on sight with her closer-than-friend, but Ruby steadied herself. Ichigo's eyes momentarily gazed on Ruby with a hint of warmth (he was trying to hold down) then narrowed them on sight of Senna.

"We need to talk." Ichigo stated.

To ease the mood, Ichigo bought the trio a small dinner in the form of sandwiches (and cookies for Ruby). Ichigo informed the girls of his recent talk with Kisuke. A new dimension, the Valley of Screams, has opened up in the Dangai and connected the Soul Society and the Living World. The ghosts are called Blanks that are souls who got lost in the Dangai and have no memory of their lives. The only way to do away with the Blanks and the Valley of Screams is to get the Shinenju to restore the memories. Unfortunately, the Shinenju takes a corporeal, sentient form.

 _'So that's it.'_ Summer said, _'Senna is the Shinenju.'_

Ruby almost spat out a mouthful of soda and tried to reply back in her head to Mazazoru.

'Wh-What?!'

 _'Her Zanpakuto had a master before he disappeared into the Dangai.'_ Summer said, _'It all adds up. So what will you do?'_

Ruby didn't answer and stared at Senna for a minute, who was too busy talking with Ichigo.

'One thing is for sure, she is **not** going to the Soul Society.' Ruby stated, 'I only trust them as far as I can throw them, and as far as I know they will treat Senna as an item. Shinenju or not, Senna is not a thing. She's her own person.'

Summer smiled in Ruby's mindscape. _'That's my little Ruby.'_

"...I've already told you." Ruby heard Ichigo repeat once she turned her attention back to the conversation, "The Blanks and the Shinenju. Tell me everything you can."

"I'm sorry about that." said Senna, "It's the first I've heard of them. So someone is using these pointy-head thingies and are trying this Shi-ne-shingy-ja-ba-"

"Shinenju." Ruby corrected, "I know, a tough name to memorize."

"Right." said Senna, not dropping her careless attitude that could rival Yang and Ruby, "So who is this someone that's trying to find this thing?"

"I don't know." Ichigo deadpanned with a pained scowl with a twitch of frustration, "I was hoping you would know."

Ruby leaned slightly to Ichigo. "Do you even have a plan once you've found out everything you need to know?"

Ichigo said nothing and his scowl only deepened, eliciting a fit of giggles from Ruby at cornering the pseudo-shinigami.

 _'Through any universe, boys will be dumb once in a while.'_ Summer commented.

'True.'

Senna laughed. "You are not making this easy. Well it sounds like you are just going to have to wait for those pointy hat guys to show up again. You know what I'll help you, but only because of Ruby since she's been so fun. There's just one thing we have to do."

Senna jumped from her seat and pointed above Ichigo's head. "We have to go up there."

Where Senna pointed got mixed reactions. Ichigo only frowned in annoyance unlike Ruby who's eyes illuminated and a cute smile spreading her cheeks.

"Take me up to the Ferris wheel and I'll help you with whatever you need to do." Senna said.

Ichigo scoffed. "I'm not falling for that."

"Please Ichigo." squeaked Ruby.

"Not you too-" Ichigo stopped midsentence when Ruby was giving him one of the most powerful eyes in existence: the Puppy Eyes.

"Pwease~." Ruby squeaked, her eyes widening and cheeks puffing cutely, "I-chi-kun~."

'Damn puppy eyes.' thought Ichigo, 'She's too cute.'

"F-Fine," Ichigo forced out with a blush on his cheeks from looking at Ruby, "we will go on the Ferris wheel."

"YAY!" Ichigo couldn't tell if that exclamation was from Ruby or Senna.

'Just so troublesome.' thought Ichigo until he realized something that made his face go crimson, 'Did Ruby just call me Ichi-kun?!'

 **'Lucky bastard.'**

* * *

(Time-Skip)

"Great." Ichigo said, "We decide to take her to the Ferris wheel and she bails on us."

Ichigo turned to Ruby and raised an eyebrow at the serious look on her face. Without warning, she pulled Ichigo and dragged him away with a surprising amount of strength.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Ichigo demanded.

"I think I'm on to something." said Ruby until they felt a familiar spiritual pressure but larger than before. "I think Senna is in trouble."

Ichigo put away any questions he had and nodded. Once they were out of the public eye, they turned their gigai into soul candy and rushed off to the direction of the spiritual pressure with shunpo. Soon, they arrived at a graveyard with Senna surrounded by some thugs in strange green armor. "Thugs" wouldn't be the correct term to describe them since their spiritual pressure was at best that of a lieutenant.

"Ichigo, you go ahead." Ruby whispered to Ichigo.

The pseudo-shinigami nodded and dashed in front of the thug that had Senna by the throat. He cut off the man's arm to release her. He was going to attack Ichigo until Ruby dashed in super speeds with her Semblance and trapped the man with her scythe poised to cut the man in half.

"Talk." Ruby said coldly, using a scare tactic taught by Yoruichi, "Why are you after Senna?"

'Though I have a pretty idea why.' Ruby thought.

"Why you-"

"That's enough." said one of the thugs, "The time is not yet now."

The thugs disappeared in shrouds of shadow. However, Ruby decided to fire a reishi bullet and cut the man in half like she would a Beowolf. Her scythe was so quick it didn't have a drop of blood on the blade in comparison to the bloody corpse at their feet. The Ruby three months ago would've vomited, but being a shinigami allowed Ruby to harden her heart to some extent and glazed over the dead body without emotion.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ichigo 'asked' Senna who was trying to inch away, "I pay for dinner and you run away!?"

"I wasn't running away." Senna argued, "This is my family's graveyard. It's the truth."

"She's not lying, Ichigo." Ruby said.

"Now if you-"

Ichigo put a hand on Senna's shoulder to prevent her from getting away.

"I'm not just going abandon someone who was just attacked." said Ichigo.

"Yay, sleepover at Ichigo's house~." Ruby cheered.

"Hey, I didn't-"

"Well, if he's offering." Senna perked up.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Ichigo exclaimed, grabbing at his hair.

Goat-chin was going to have a field day when he gets back with two girls from a date with Ruby.

* * *

(Next Day)

"So boring." Senna whined.

"I knooww." Ruby groaned leaning on a wall.

The trio set off in the morning to look for more signs of Blanks and chose to be more hidden by remaining in their gigai till they or the thugs associated with the Blanks show up.

"What's going on?" Ichigo wondered, "There isn't usually this many people here."

Ichigo was thinking back to the strange spiritual pressure he sensed last night, and how Senna could be connected to it. When he came back to reality, he found Senna and Ruby gone from their previous spots to his ire. He called out to them, but Ruby beat him to the punch by calling him from around a corner.

Ichigo arrived with Ruby and Senna to find them comforting a Plus of a boy. The boy's crying turned Ichigo's scowl into a look of pity. Ruby, being the wonderful soul of child-like innocence she is, couldn't help but comfort the soul and wrap him in a hug while Senna put a gentle head on his forehead kneeling down to the kid's level.

"Shh, shh." Ruby soothed, "It's okay, little guy. My name is Ruby, and here is my friend Senna and Sir Scowls-a-Lot-"

"Hey!" Ichigo exclaimed on deaf ears, causing Ruby to hold in her giggles. She was definitely Summer's daughter with the teases she pulled.

"-is named Ichigo." Ruby continued, "What's yours?"

The plus answered. "Tamaiya."

"That's a wonderful name." Senna commented, "If you to tell us what's wrong, maybe we can help."

"I'm - lost." Tamaiya whimpered, "And I'm all alone 'cause... my dad is gone. We were... in the park and he was taking me to the festival. But I went to sleep and when I woke up he was gone."

"Listen," said Ichigo, "your father isn't in a festival, he's up in hea-"

Ruby gripped onto Ichigo's arm and squeezed it painfully to get his attention. Ichigo turned to the scythe-wielder and immediately regretted it as Ruby was giving him the Unohanna treatment with a sweet smile but producing a cold aura that made him sweat bullets.

"Ichi-kun," Ruby said sweetly but the aura got colder, "don't be rude. We are helping the kid find his dad, alright? Are - we - clear?"

"H-Hai." Ichigo submitted.

"Would you like that, Tamaiya?" Senna asked, getting a happy nod from the Plus.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, taking the boy gently by his hand, "We will all find him together."

The next Ichigo knew, he and the girls were walking through Karakura via the boy's directions, who was sitting up top of his shoulders courtesy of Ruby. He noted that Ruby was really good with the kid and soon got him in a laughing, joyful manner from his impressive mood. Ichigo wouldn't show it much, but the sight of Ruby playing with the kid warmed his heart. Soon, Ichigo started to play along with the adventure and was happy to give Tamaiya a ride with vigor. He found himself bumping up and down like a horse for the Plus, getting laughs from both the kid and Ruby who watched Ichigo dropping his cold scowling for once. She honestly liked - no - loved this side of Ichigo.

The party arrived at rural plaza that hosted a festival, but not kind none of them were expecting. They could tell everything was ethereal. Even the people were Pluses. The trio were treated to the sight of Tamaiya reuniting with his father, but the strangest thing out of all of that was that they claimed all of this happened because of Senna. Although Ichigo may have been confused, it only confirmed Ruby's suspicions about Senna.

When they disappeared, Senna suddenly broke down.

"Why are they all attracted to me?" Senna said with tears in her eyes, "Is it true? Am I the Shi-"

Before Senna could rant on, Ruby embraced her tightly in a hug.

"So what if you're this Shinenju?" Ruby said firmly, "You have feelings, you have likes and dislikes, and you have your own soul. You're not a thing. You're Senna."

"I-" The words were stuck in Senna's throat by Ruby's words while Ichigo watched a bit bewildered.

"You're a great person to hang around." Ruby concluded, "And I consider you my friend. Always."

Senna wanted to cry, but at the same time grab both Ruby and Ichigo in a hug. Neither happened as a bright light caught their attention. Familiar doors slid aside for half of the Gotei 13 to stand before them.

'Crapbaskets.' Ruby thought.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for this chapter. Senna will get an Aura and a Semblance as well. I'm making this short by getting rid of Ganryu and his henchmen early on, which will be found out in Chapter 21 coming up next.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	21. The Green Fox

Disclaimer: **I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 21: The Green Fox**

The light of the Senkaimon dimmed to reveal captains Ukitake, Hitsugaya, and Soi Fon, who was giving a venomous glare to Ruby for some odd reason. Along with them came their lieutenants Kuchiki, Abarai, and Matsumoto. Most of them were just unseated shinigami but the dark garbs they wore revealed them to be the Stealth Force of Squad 2.

Ukitake, a person who gave off a more serene nature than his other shinigami, was giving a glare that betrayed his personality. Ruby did not like the tension growing in the air one bit and she returned a familiar glare back at the shinigami. Ichigo noticed Ruby tense up and was put on red alert as well. They prepared that twitch to switch their gigais into Soul Candy at the instant of danger. Senna was breaking down sensing the threat was without a doubt coming for her.

"Captain Ukitake," Ichigo said in a neutral tone, "what's going on here?"

"Ichigo..." Rukia muttered with a hint of sadness.

Then, Renji stepped forward putting on an air of authority. "By the order of Central 46, we are here to apprehend the Shinenju. Hand it over immediately."

Ichigo scowled angrily, but Ruby...

It takes a lot to make Ruby angry, but the way Renji stepped forward and ordered the pair to hand over Senna like he was invincible or something really rubbed Ruby off the wrong away. But the way they don't even mention her name but call like she doesn't have any emotions. Like she some piece of property, a thing. That simple action was enough to make Ruby snap!

The shinigamis' eyes widened when Ruby somehow turned her gigai into a Soul Candy and transformed into her spirit form. She instantly released Mazazoru and slammed the blade in front of Senna for her defense while flaring her massive spiritual pressure that made the lieutenants buckle their knees and made the captains produce some sweat. But they all flinched at the face that Ruby made that could only be described as pure fury.

"IF YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST TAKE HER AWAY LIKE THAT, THEN YOU CAN SHOVE IT AND GO TO HELL!" Ruby roared in fury, reminding some of them of Unohanna's cold aura except Ruby's felt like it burned from the silver light in her eyes, "SHE ISN'T A THING, AND I DON'T CARE IF SHE'S THIS SHINENJU. HER NAME IS SENNA, A PERSON WHO HAS HER OWN SOUL AND IS HUMAN JUST LIKE THE REST OF US. YOU ARE NOT TAKING HER AWAY AGAINST HER OWN WILL WHILE WE HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT!"

'She really thinks of me like that.' thought Senna, slightly in awe of Ruby standing up for her.

"She's right because Senna exists at this moment." said Ichigo, popping out of his gigai and his spirits rising in agreement with Ruby's outburst, "You have no right to take Senna away. She has thoughts and dreams just like we all do."

"You don't understand." Rukia argued, "Ganryu and his followers are trying to capture the Shinenju so they can control the Valley of Screams. We were sent to protect her."

Ruby snapped, her eyes producing a brilliant silver light that seemed to gas off of them. "Don't go preaching you'll 'protect' Senna when you'll just lock her up. You're no different than that punk Ganryu. We will protect Senna the right way even if we have to fight both you and the Soul Society."

"You wouldn't dare." Soi Fon growled, clearly offended.

"I'd say," said Ruby, getting into her fighting stance along with Ichigo, "bring it."

The clash between the pseudo-shinigami and the Gotei 13 was inevitable until a third party took the chance to launch a surprise, putting both parties in a state of confusion. Ruby and Ichigo made sure to stay close to Senna, but couldn't see in the dust cloud from the explosions from the ambush. That soon turned worst when it wasn't the dust surrounding them any longer but a horde of Blanks. From above, one of the thugs dropped on top of the trio. Ichigo held him back while he left Senna in Ruby's care as they escaped via Ruby's Semblance.

Ruby's path however was constantly blocked by a horde of Blanks. She would take a whole line of them in one swing of her scythe only for more to pop up and try to take Senna. The horde had them back in a corner until they were joined by the shinigami Rukia. The horde of Blanks was closing in number, but Ruby and Rukia stood back to back holding out their palms.

 **"Hado 28: Itsutsu Hoshi."**

 **"Hado 33: Sokatsui."**

Ruby outstretched five fingers which fired a volley of reishi beams like a hail of bullets would while Rukia took care of her horde with a wave of blue fire from her palm.

"That is impressive Kido, Ruby." Rukia complimented.

Ruby scoffed. "Save the compliments after we make out of this alive."

Senna took their distraction to disspell her gigai and instead join in the fight, dancing in the autumn leaves with her Zanpakuto in hand.

'Ichigo and Ruby are protecting me because I'm a person, not a thing.' thought Senna, looking up at one of the thugs who had to be Ganryu, 'But I won't let them fight alone.'

Senna jumped up, released her zanpakuto, and poured all her energy to bring down Ganryu in one swift motion. She was already committed to the attack when Ganryu turned around with a smile that struck horror on her face. There was an explosion of reiatsu clashing with reiatsu that ended with Senna as the loser with a hand in her gut.

"SENNA!" cried Ruby and Ichigo.

The Blanks around them suddenly exploded, blinding the shinigami in dust. One went near Ichigo about ready to blow him apart. When Ruby saw it, she moved on instinct and slammed into the Blank far enough from Ichigo. The pseudo-shinigami's eyes widened when Ruby was in a crater with burns on her fair skin and rips in her clothes. She was barely moving and her Aura barely flickered.

"RUBY!" screamed Ichigo in fear.

Ruby lifted her head weakly to look at Ichigo dead in the eye.

"Get... Senna... back." Ruby said before unconsciousness took over.

Ichigo felt like a brutal knife was thrusted into his heart seeing Ruby down on the ground as though there was no life in her. Ichigo looked to the sky and positioned Zangetsu in front of him with his arm locked onto his other forearm.

"I will." Ichigo promised, **"Bankai."**

Faster than a bullet, Ichigo stood above the Dark Ones (stupid name I know) in his Bankai form. His blade shrunk into a black copy of a sealed zanpakuto with a chain, but an expert eye could tell the unimaginable power in the blade. Ichigo looked down upon all of them without any remorse.

"You're not going anywhere." Ichigo growled, "Put her down now. You can't have Senna!"

The Dark Ones charged Ichigo, but to him they were moving too slow to even catch him by surprise. He was a phantom to them disappearing as soon as their eyes made him out. The only one to appear so calm was Ganryu. He had complete confidence that Ichigo would fail in his attempt to reclaim the Shinenju. Ganryu didn't even react in emotion as Ichigo shunpoed in front of him with Tensa Zangetsu poised to cut him down.

"It's over." Ichigo stated.

The hand that held Senna also held a spear. With just a small manipulation of his spiritual energy, Ganryu extended the spear. It was aimed and timed perfectly to make dodging impossible. The spear would skewer Ichigo and leave him helpless.

... Unless Ichigo had Aura. The spear stopped inches from Ichigo's body via a blue barrier that held it off like steel. Ganryu's eyes widened that his underhanded play was proved useless, and in his shock left him wide open for Ichigo's attack. He summoned his blade to defend against Tensa Zangetsu, but Ganryu underestimated the force behind it and accidentally released Senna. She went into a free fall for a moment till she stopped herself with hoho. Senna left Ichigo to deal with Ganryu and instead rushed to Ruby's aid who was still unconscious in a crater.

"This is for Ruby." Ichigo said, Tensa Zangetsu leaking with black and red reiatsu, **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Ganryu was blasted by a point-blank, black **Getsuga Tensho** that sent him crashing into the ground. His followers appeared by his side to defend him. The Dark One leader rose from ground, his face etched with rage. After all of that, they failed to get the Shinenju. They would be forced to retreat, but a chance to get the Shinenju would probably never happen again.

"We shall retreat. One way or another we will have our reve-"

Everyone stopped dead still when a absolutely massive spiritual pressure crashed down on the entire battlefield. The lieutenants were on their knees, trying to breath. The captains were having a hard time themselves keeping their knees straight. This pressure was huge, even for a captain. It was like Kenpachim except this felt calm and composed like a mountain stream.

And this one was familiar especially to Ichigo and Ruby, who just started to come to.

"This is..."

 **"Fokonawarudogeto."**

The voice bellowed over the Dark Ones as that spiritual pressure fluctuated. Out of the sky slammed four giant temple gates around the area. In a flash of light, the battlefield was encased in a yellow glowing Kido barrier to prevent any type of escape.

'The Four Corner World Gates?!' thought Ukitake in shock, 'I never thought I'd see such a powerful Bakudou again, but who could possess this spiritual pressure to cast it?'

His answer came to him by the appearance of a young man with shunpo. By the green Chinese-style outfit, the long black hair, and the dual zanpakuto on his back most of them knew as Lie Ren. The captains' eyes widened when they sensed him as the source of the spiritual pressure. It was not only powerful, but perfectly controlled.

'How could a human become this powerful?' thought Soi Fon.

Ganryu focused his furious gaze at the newcomer. This wasn't even a shinigami, just some random human. How could this human come out of nowhere and ruin his plans like this? But there was also a cold stab going through him, one he hadn't felt since he faced the sotaicho himself. Fear.

"Woah." Ichigo said, "Ruby, you weren't kidding when you said that Ren was pushing himself."

Ruby herself was in disbelief. Yes, she did witness Ren training himself beyond what most would say possible and still keep going where most would die. But never would she imagine Ren of all people becoming something like this.

'So this is what he's become just so he could stop Aizen?' thought Ruby.

"So you are the Dark Ones." Ren said, "There is no escape for you. Your quest for revenge and the Shinenju end here. Permanently."

"So what?" said the thug with the rope missiles on his back, "You are just one-"

It came like a literal clap of thunder. Ren unleashed his spiritual pressure upon the Dark Ones, sending all but Ganryu to the floor. His hair whipped in the air, and his reiatsu became visible for every eye to see. Ganryu kept his confident look, but inwardly he was terrified.

"You really think you can take us alone?" Ganryu said, "You can't defeat the entire clan all by yourself, no matter how powerful you are."

Ren sighed. "You should've stayed in whatever pit you crawled out of... **Shunko."**

As if his pressure wasn't crushing enough, this one practically put a planet on them. Their nerves fired and the Dark Ones jumped back to gain some distance from the rising pressure. Instead of the white lightning of shunko, green fire surrounded Ren's body till it became skin of fire on his body. What was more were the nine green tails of fire-like reiatsu waving behind him. He unsheathed his zanpakuto before banging the hilts together to form it into a bow.

 **"Kakushi Tsume."**

It was do or die, so Ganryu certainly didn't want to go the coward's way out and at least get some satisfaction in his final moments.

"Kill him." Those would be his literal final words.

Ren had total control of the fight the second he arrived. The first one to go down fell with a lance of golden light piercing through his chest. The shinigami captains barely even sensed Ren's arrow. The other Dark Ones learned from this and kept their guard on full-alert. But Ren was a step ahead.

His bow unleashed what could only be a storm of golden arrows thought only possible by the means of the Qunicy and their bows. The one with the hammers instantly fell from the storm as he fell to the ground as a pincushion. Those who were of more average build had an easier time evading the barrage, especially Ganryu. However, he could tell this shinigami was playing with them.

One of his subordinates used her agility to get through the storm of arrows after Ren. As she got closer to her target, Ganryu could notice Ren's lips moving. It looked like he was... chanting!

It was too late to warn her. She appeared behind Ren to cut his head off, but the blades never made their mark. The nine tails of green fire shattered the steel like glass. The Dark One tried to go for a punch, only for her hand to became charred to the bone.

"Wh-What are you?!" she cried only to meet a hand charged with massive reiatsu.

"A defender." Ren replied, **"Hado 54: Haien."**

Haien was an instant kill spell that worked on low-powered opponents. The Dark One was at least considered 3rd Seat, but to Ren she was no different than a Plus compared to a Vasto Lorde as she instantly turned to ash in the blast of purple reiatsu. Ren turned his sights back at the ground preparing another Kido spell. This one was far stronger than the last.

 **"Hado 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho."**

Ren's left palm unleashed a tremendous beam of azure reiatsu, firing off like a Gran Rey Cero towards the ground. Only Ganryu had enough time to dodge, and the last of his followers died in the explosion. Multiple thoughts rang through the spectators as Ren's show of power like it was nothing.

'He doesn't even seem winded from casting such a high-level Hado spell.' thought Ukitake in shock.

'Overkill much.' were the thoughts of Senna, Ruby, and Ichigo.

'H-How much power do these humans have?!' thought Soi Fon, sparing a glance to Ichigo and Ruby.

She took note to think twice before messing with them ever again.

Ganryu flew up to Ren's level in the air, his clothes singed from the blast. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth and his right hand looked badly disfigured. And if it wasn't clear by his strained face of rage, Ganryu was pissed. He never felt such utter defeat and humiliation since the Head Captain himself. And Ren just gave him a glare bordering on impassive and boredom.

"Damn you." cursed Ganryu, "Damn you. Decades of planning, waiting for our moment to take our revenge on Soul Society. Only to have it squandered when it was all in my arm's reach."

"Surrender, Ganryu." said Ren, "Your petty vengeance is done for."

"Petty!" Ganryu seethed behind his barred teeth, "How dare you!"

Hundreds of Blanks sprouted from the ground converting themselves in reiatsu and surging into Ganryu's body. They could feel the heavy flux of power growing in his body. It became unstable by the increase and cracks of light appeared on his skin. Yet, he still absorbed more as fast as he could.

"If he continues to absorb this much reishi from the Blanks," said Hitsugaya, "his spiritual body won't be able to handle it and he'll..."

"Kaboom?" Renji said sheepishly. Hitsugaya nodded

"How big of a blast are we talking here?" Rukia dared to ask.

"Enough," said Hitsugaya, but reluctant to say, "to obliterate half of Karakura Town."

That almost stopped Ichigo's heart at that last statement. He was about to shout to Ren when he noticed the look in his green clad friend's eyes. Ren was not at all troubled.

"If I can't destroy the Soul Society," Ganryu cackled with a maniacal grin, "I'll just take you all with me to hell!"

Then, his eyes widened when Ren who was staring without emotion appeared in front of him with his bow raised up to his chest. The arrow did not produce a tip, but instead the reiatsu converged into a round singularity black and purple in shape. Even with all the unstable power overflowing within Ganryu, he could not help the frozen chill of fear.

 **Teirubisuto: Dama."**

Ren released the ball of reiatsu with a bang. The spectators could only see the air circles of Ganryu's forced ascent into the skies of Karakura Town. They could hear its sharp whistle no matter the distance. That whistle was shut off when a second sun appeared in the sky, followed by a great roar of the blast. The clouds that spotted the sky were no longer in sight. Jaws dropped from lieutenants and unseated officers of the sheer destruction that they just witnessed and were miraculously spared from thanks to Ren. Though one had to wonder if the explosion was caused by Ganryu or Ren himself.

Ruby, trapped to watch the entire spectacle of Ren's one-sided slaughter of the Dark Ones, had one word to describe it.

"Awesome." Ruby squeaked. She could only imagine the wonders that Ren's Shikai in its bow form could do.

Senna had a million things going through her head, but only a few were made clear. She was safe. She wasn't going to be chased. She wasn't going to be taken away. And most importantly she had friends powerful enough to stand by her side.

Seeing Ren's extraordinary performance put all the shinigami present in shock. Such a display of power was comparable to what Aizen had done. They also knew that his affiliation with Ichigo and Ruby meant he was not there to aide them. So Ukitake made the wise call that his colleagues were to stupefied to make.

"Mission is over." Ukitake ordered, "We shall return to the Soul Society."

Not a moment too soon, they opened a Senkaimon in disappeared behind the paper doors. Ruby and Ichigo let out a breath of relief they didn't know they were holding. Ren looked down on his comrades, and a small smile adorned his face.

He was proud of himself of the way he used his power the right way: for his friends.

* * *

 **That's how you get rid of the Dark Ones Ren-style. This chapter was also to show his growth in his training, and he will become a bit overpowered in terms of skill and reiatsu compared to Ichigo and Ruby, but not much as a powerhouse. By this point Ren has Bankai with his training, but I can only say it isn't something Ren will use on a whim kind of like with Shunsui. And its official, Senna is part of the story and the triple group of shinigami is now quadruple.**

 **Let me know any ideas of the name of Senna's Bankai.**

 **Up next is chapter 22: Team SIRR.**

 **Which arc do you want next?**

 **-Return to Remnant.**

 **-Fade to Black.**

 **-Mini Arc: Ruby and Ichigo mastering their inner demons and getting their masks.**

 **Bount Arc come after.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	22. Team SIRR

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 22: Team SIRR**

 **(Que OP: Blizzard "Daichi Miura" - Dragon Ball Super: Broly)**

"Ren," said Kisuke, waving his friend, "did I mention how scary you are that it's awesome?"

After the events of Ren's practical slaughter of the Dark Ones, Ruby, Ichigo, and Ren returned to Kisuke by the Remnantie ninja's order. The Dark Ones may be gone, but there were still Blanks and the Valley of Screams remaining. As one would guess, who better to solve this crisis then Kisuke Urahara, the benevolent owner of a candy shop with 'definitely' nothing shady going on in its walls.

"I mean," continued Kisuke in his praising, "I wish I saw the look on the shinigami's faces when they felt your spiritual pressure. I bet they pissed themselves and ran off scared."

"Well, you're not wrong." Ren confirmed, drinking a cup of tea. As always.

"Serves them right." Ichigo noted.

"Ditto." Ruby agreed.

"So then our little situation with the Valley of Screams." said Kisuke, turning his attention to Senna who was keeping quiet, "The obvious solution would be to bring our wonderful lady-" Kisuke paused a moment when he felt killing intent from the women in the room, including Yoruichi in cat form looking from the shadows. "-Er, I mean, this poor soul Senna to the Valley of Screams and restore the Blank's memories."

"But," Ruby voiced, "Senna is made of memories. If she gives them all away, she'll...die."

Kisuke folded his fan and his smile flattened. It was Kisuke's way of telling people thinking, and very thoroughly at that.

"Well, Senna's existence is not dependent on the memories since she is her own soul restored as a shinigami." Kisuke explained, "But since she won't have any control over the process and most likely will die.

Ruby was knocked out of her attention of the conversation by a cackle in her mindscape.

 _ **'After all that effort, she will still die.'**_ Gruby cackled sadistically, _**'I would cry if I didn't find it so hilarious.'**_

 _'Shut up and go away.'_ Ruby responded. She was going to call on Summer's presence to get the Grimm/Hollow suppressed, but outwardly gasped when she didn't feel Mazazoru at all.

 _ **'That's right.'**_ Gruby sneered, widening a grin that Ruby could feel, _**'I had enough of you and Mother keeping me down. So I just - disposed of the problem.'**_

 _'What did you do to her!?'_ Ruby demanded, only getting a cackle from the Grimm/Hollow.

 _ **'I would worry more about yourself.'**_ Gruby said, _**'Real soon.'**_

Ruby would persist with her dark side, but Ichigo snapped her attention back to reality with an elbow nudge in her side.

"You okay, Ruby-chan?" asked Ichigo in clear worry, then berated himself that he used the suffix with Ruby. He was supposed to be prude dammit.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby lied, turning her attention back to Kisuke.

Ichigo frowned. The strain on her face betrayed the lie she tried to play and he knew the exactly why.

'I can see it in your eyes Ruby.' thought Ichigo, 'That demon of yours is giving you more trouble than my own.'

 _ **'Hey!'**_ cried Hichigo.

 _'Shut up and go away.'_ Ichigo said to his Inner Hollow and he was left with silence in his mindscape. For now.

"So I propose this." said Kisuke, unfolding his fan in front of his face, "The only way for Senna to stay intact while giving the Blanks their memories is for one of you to act as a tether for her. Since all of you are basically powerhouses in that field, it should be an easy process, and Senna will live."

"Really?" asked Senna with hope in her eyes. Kisuke eyes the girl and gave her a genuine nod.

"I promise it will work." said Kisuke, "After all, I'm your humble neighborhood candy shop owner."

The next he knew, Ruby latched onto him at speeds that shouldn't be possible by law of Kami. She was squeezing the life out of him with her hug while saying too many "thank you"s to count even for his brain.

'Yoruichi-chan, what did you do to put so much strength into this sweet girl?' thought Kisuke, barely getting the oxygen.

"Thank you." Senna praised, overflowing with joy at the chance to live a life.

"What do we do, Urahara-san?" Ichigo asked.

"First, let me ask Senna a question?" said Kisuke once he escaped Ruby's choke hold, "Senna-san, where was the first place you were in Karakura Town?"

* * *

(Time-Skip)

"Huh." Was Ruby's reaction after the recent events. At midday, they took high ground to find where Senna came from which would lead to the Valley of Screams. Low and behold, it was the bottom of a bridge in the same river where Ichigo's mother died. In the light of the sun, it was hard to see the alien shimmer in the water as the group stood above the portal.

"Alright," said Ruby, "let's start Team SIRR's first mission: Get rid of the Valley of Screams."

The remaining three had question marks over their head and looked at Ruby. Ren dropped his look when he realized what Ruby was up to.

"Team SIRR?" asked Ichigo.

"Don't you get it?" said Ruby while looking at Ichigo as though he had two heads, "We are a team. The most awesome team of shinigami."

"Okay, but what's with the name?" Ichigo wondered.

Ren explained. "It is how team names were made back in Beacon. Each one is different based on the first letters in the members' names. In all honesty, Team SIRR fits."

"I get it now." said Ichigo, "S for Senna, I for me, and the two Rs for you and Ruby. Clever."

"That's right!" Ruby perked up, suddenly jumping into the Valley of Screams, "Geronimo!"

Senna looked to the two male members of SIRR and gave a smile before falling with her back facing the portal. "WHEE!"

Ichigo sighed. "Do we know any girls that are normal?"

"Unfortunately." Ren said with a smile, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Ichigo gave Ren an agreeing smile before they too jumped after their comrades into the shimmering water. After sinking six feet, they suddenly felt the rush of air and an atmosphere. Soon, their feet stood on solid ground. However, looking up their breaths were caught in their throats at the sight.

The sky was made of branches from a tree of immeasurable size. It was the only thing in sight among the canyon that expanded forever to the horizon where a dull grey glow settled. There was also this strange feeling in the pit of their stomachs. Like the very air and ground was watching them.

"I assume we get to the big tree?" Ruby wondered.

Senna nodded reluctantly. "I feel them all... just get me to the base of the tree."

Ruby put a hand over Senna's shoulder and disappeared in her shunpo and Semblance combo. A few minutes later and Ruby stopped at the very trunk of the tree. Senna slowly approached the biggest root under the tree, drawn to whispers that called to her. She reached out her hand to give the whispers their wish, but shook halfway.

"Don't worry." Ruby voiced, putting a hand on Senna's shoulder and focusing her reiryoku onto Senna, "I'll be right here with you."

"Thank you." Senna mumbled.

She pressed her hand on the root and the surface glowed gold. Senna's reiatsu rose as she focused, and her hand sent a yellow pulse visible throughout the entire Valley of Screams.

"There are so many of them." Senna grunted, "So many. Their pulling me away."

"Stay with me." said Ruby, raising her voice while applying more reiatsu to fight against the pull on Senna, "You are not going away. You will never disappear."

The eyes of IRR widened when the Valley was filled with the howls of hollows. Outside, the canyon was flooded with black rifts in space pouring out hollows starting to feast on the Blanks that made up the valley.

"Holy crap, that is a lot of hollows." said Ichigo.

And of course, most of them were running to the tree attracted to the swarm of Blanks swarming around to Senna for their memories.

"Feast." cried a hollow of medium build, "Today, we shall become Vasto Lorde."

This hollow, a hulk with a lizard's skull and hulking arms was joined by other hollows of similar size. What stood them out among the rest was their reiatsu that reached to a lieutenant at most.

"Adjuchas." said Ren, unsheathing his zanpakuto.

"What the heck is an adjuchas?" Ichigo asked.

"Fight now, questions later." Ren said.

Ichigo sighed and drew Zangestu. "Fine. How do you want to do this?"

"You take the five hundred on the left." said Ren, "You take the five hundred on the right."

"What, do you want me to take on 501?" Ichigo said sarcastically.

Ren smiled before they raised their spiritual pressure. Ren activated shunko, and the cloak of green fire and nine tails appeared around him. He was the first to shunpo into the horde, cutting through flesh with ease.

"None of you are going to get to Ruby or Senna." Ichigo stated roughly, **"Bankai."**

Black and red reiatsu veiled away Ichigo. His spiritual pressure alone crushed lower hollows to the ground instantly dead. When he emerged, Ichigo's clothes took a closet change and Zangetsu turned into a pitch black daito with a chain.

 **"Tensa Zangestsu."**

Without warning, Ichigo obliterated a high number of hollows with a single swing of his sword. He turned into a storm of afterimages of himself killing hollows multiple places at once. To his ire, not once did they fault in their advance.

Ichigo's instincts flared up and he raised Tensa Zangetsu to block a giant fist from an Adjuchas. It was short, but his distraction allowed tens to run to the tree. The pseudo-shinigami bit his lips and he shunpoed above the horde.

"Leave them alone!" Ichigo shouted, **"Getsuga Tensho."**

An arc of black reiatsu shot out of Ichigo's blade. The ground exploded on contact, kicking up dust and the body parts of hollows. He was about to continue with another blast when a familiar red glow caught his attention.

'Crap.' thought Ichigo seeing the Adjuchas from earlier directly below him.

 **"Cero."**

* * *

(Back with Ruby and Senna.)

'Dammit, dammit, dammit.' Ruby cursed inwardly seeing a horde of hollows getting closer to the tree.

 _ **'Ooh, seems to be a lot of them.'**_ said Gruby, _**'That gives more ways for Senna to die, and fewer ways to save her.'**_

'Shut up.' Ruby snapped back, 'She is not dying.'

 _ **'Your optimism makes me want to vomit. Get real here, Senna will die.'**_

'She will live. I'll make it so.'

 _ **'Since when was the last time you ever saved anybody?'**_

'Go away.'

 _ **'Face it, Ruby, you will never save anybody. Penny, Pyrrha. They all died and you did could do nothing because you can never save them. Stop lying to yourself. You know it's true because I am you. You're just some girl playing fairy tale.'**_

 _'Shut up.'_

 ** _'You can't save anybody. You never will. Lie all you want, but you have your doubts. And that is fueling me. Making me stronger. You can feel losing control of yourself as I crawl further into your mind till I get to snap you into an empty shell.'_**

 _'Shut up, shut up, shut up!'_

 ** _'Ha-ha-ha. The more you resist, Ruby, the stronger I get. You won't save anyone because it that fear of their deaths working against you. I will kill everyone you love. That is the inevitable. They will all be dead, and it will be...all...your...fault...as...always.'_**

 _'It won't happen. I won't let it.'_

 ** _'Senna is going to die. Ren is going to die. And Ichigo... I am going to make that prude scream your name in hate when I bring his whole life crashing down. And you'll be watching it all.'_**

 _'SHUT UP!'_

"Ruby!" called Senna, getting Ruby out of her trauma, "Behind you."

Ruby had enough time to summon her aura to defend against a claw hand of a hollow. She quickly dispatched by cutting its head off with her zanpakuto, and bisected the next that came.

 **"Hado 33: Sokatsui."**

Blue fire surged out of Ruby's hands and pushed the hollows away with a wall of fire. Looking back, she saw that the shoulder Ruby put her hand on was bruised from being squeezed tightly. Ruby cursed herself from falling for her dark self again like that.

"Almost... done." Senna panted.

Ruby held back more hollows with Kido blast, but was losing her hold on Senna. More hollows swarmed the couple, and Ruby wasn't sure if her Aura could withstand so many attacks. It left the scythe-wielder with a gamble. She paused her attack on the hollows and latched onto Senna's soul. She quickly went through a chant and a golden glow surround Senna giving her new strength.

"Ruby, what did you do?" Senna asked.

"I unlocked your Aura." said Ruby, unsealing Mazazoru, "Can you keep going?"

Senna nodded. "Just a few more."

Ruby dashed to bring the slaughter to the hollows. All they would remember was a glint of silver before the blade twirled through their head and limbs. It was becoming a haze the more Ruby fought. She felt strong, and her pumped a thousand times more. Her dance became more brutal and vicious, leaving some hollows alive but limbless. And the sight of blood was driving Ruby into a new kind of crazy.

'This feeling.' thought Ruby, 'I've never felt so - good in my life. I need - no, it's her. She's doing this to me.'

 _ **'Ha-ha-ha-ha. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Don't you see?! I'm already making myself home here!'**_

Ruby willed herself to ignore the rush in her head and quickly sliced through the hollows in quick kills. She felt a sting on her right eye like it was flooding with fire. It was far more vile than when she used her silver eyes. Ruby ignored it for now and took care of the last of the hollows.

"It's done." Senna breathed before collapsing on all fours in exhaustion.

Instantly, the Valley of Screams was shaking as the Blanks were no longer there to maintain the dimension. The earth crumbled and the sky split apart. Outside, Ichigo and Ren flew up to the portal to safety. Ruby pushed all her willpower from her internal conflict with Gruby to grab Senna and use her shunpo and Semblance combo to get to the portal. Unknown to Ruby, the stinging in her eye grew worse as the whites of her right eye turned pitch black and white matter formed at the right side of her face.

* * *

(Karakura Town)

Team SIRR emerged from the water and landed onto the bridge just in time to see the portal flash a brilliant light before disappearing. Ichigo apprehensively looked around him, and sighed in relief seeing Senna with them alive and well.

"Well, Ruby," said Ichigo, "I guess that means mission accomplish right. Ruby-"

Ichigo was interrupted when Ruby suddenly pushed Senna into him. Her body convulsed and twitched like she was in pain, and she buried her face in her hands. Ren stepped in a few paces back with a cold sweat on his neck. The orange head was about to voice his concern for Ruby but silenced sensing a familiar and deadly feeling leaking out of Ruby like a waterfall.

"Ichigo," groaned Ruby, swaying her head side to side, "you - have - to get away - from me."

"What's going on, Ruby?!" exclaimed Ichigo, but in the back of his mind he knew what was happening.

'This is bad.' thought Ren, 'Kisuke informed me of Inner Hollows, but this is sickening. I feel like the air was freezing around me.'

"I ca **n't** \- control - **her."** Ruby groaned out as her voice became more demonic. She suddenly stopped twitching and convulsing. Blood red reiatsu laced in white exploded off of Ruby creating a wind pressure that slid Ichigo and Ren back. 'Ruby' lifted her head, revealing the same mask covering the right side of her face, the black eyes with red irises, and the maniacal grin that could give Ichigo's own hollow a run for his money.

 **"Guess who's back!"** cackled the hollow of Ruby.

 **'Crap-'** swore Hichigo.

"-baskets." Ichigo finished his hollow's curse.

Ren grabbed Senna and barely shunpoed away before Ruby's scythe crashed down forming a crater where the Huntsmen once stood. Those mad red eyes were locked onto the unconscious form of Senna. Ichigo could feel the dark malice from those eyes reminding him more of Grand Fisher than a normal hollow. There was an intelligence in her killing.

 **"Don't run!"** 'Ruby' cackled, launching herself forward with speed faster than before, **"Scream and bleed for me."**

The hollow possessed Ruby was so much faster than before that Ren couldn't even get his body to move at his mental commands fast enough. Just a few feet before the massive blade of Mazazoru would cut into Ren's flesh, there was a clash of steel and Ichigo stood in the way. He was just fast enough in his Bankai to stop Ruby in her path.

But even in Bankai, Ichigo was being pressured by the rampaging Huntress. His expression didn't show the same face he would make towards an enemy, but instead had a sorrow look in his eyes that he was raising a blade that he, dare he would think, considered more than a friend since recently.

"Don't make me do this, Ruby!" Ichigo shouted.

 **"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"** laughed Gruby as she jumped back, **"Sorry lover boy, but you won't be seeing Ruby for a long time. Unlike that dumbass in you, I'm going to make sure when I take control, I - will - stay that way. Forever."**

"Give her back!" Ichigo demanded, charging forward.

Scythe and daito clashed with sparks flying off from the steel. Ruby swung a quick overhead that Ichigo swayed aside with Tensa Zangetsu. He was going to punish but Ruby's moved faster and Ichigo was forced to faint a slash to block the scythe from the side that came with even more strength. Ichigo saw another swing with a low slash that Ichigo tried to parry, but he was shocked to the lack of ground he should've been awarded. Gruby's smile stretched to a length Kenpachi would be proud of, and the mask was growing passed her nose and covered her mouth in a maw of canine teeth of a wolf.

Soon, Ichigo found himself on the defense, testing the speed of his Bankai just to avoid getting cut in half by Mazazoru that twirled as light as a feather in Ruby's hands. Ichigo could use Getsuga Tensho, but he would damn himself first before going at the chance of hurting Ruby with such an attack.

Gruby's grin grew seeing the conflict of resolve in Ichigo's eyes. **"What's wrong, strawberry? Too afraid to hurt innocent, little Ruby? Eugh, just being reminded of how she thinks of you makes me want to vomit. It will be so - goood~ to see Ruby tear you apart with her own hands while she can do nothing to stop it. Ha-ha-ha-ha."**

"Quit talking like you'll ever take her life away!" Ichigo snarled, putting his reiatsu in Tensa Zangetsu to gain an edge of power. Once their blades locked again, Ichigo pushed his legs to the limit to force Ruby back. "Ruby, listen to me. You're stronger than this bastard. It can never control your life. It is beneath you."

 **'Screw you.'** cried Hichigo in Ichigo's mindscape.

To Ichigo's relief, he could see conflict in Ruby's red eyes. The grin turned into a snarl as she broke the lock to tend to her own problems. Her right hand moved on its own and grabbed onto the mask to pry it off. Ichigo relaxed seeing that Ruby was gaining control until Gruby brought back her smile and raised Mazazoru.

 **"I don't think so."** said Gruby.

In one swift motion, Gruby willingly cut off Ruby's right arm above the elbow. The limb fell to the ground with a thud and a pool of blood followed from the wound. Ichigo's eyes widened in terror. Not even his own hollow is that crazy to cut off his own arm just to stay in control. His terror only grew when a black tumor growth resonated from the end of the limb. Both Ren and Ichigo visibly paled holding in bile as Ruby's entire right arm regenerated from bone to flesh. The new arm was pitch black in color with white needle-like protrusions lining the forearm and black claws adorning the fingers.

'You have to be ####### kidding me?' thought the male members of Team SIRR.

The remaining fighters felt the air bare down on them in intense cold. Crimson and white reiatsu erupted off of Ruby's body and ever so increasing via her spiritual pressure. Bones were cracking, and flesh reconstructed, but those red eyes stared back at them through the dark energy. When it cleared, Ruby's human body had taken a drastic transformation. Her red cloak was now hung over her left shoulder. White needles covered her arms from shoulder to wrist where the hands had five fang-like claws each, and her feet were reformed to that of a black wolf. Ruby stood a foot or so taller with hunched back, her skin as black as ash with traces of crimson lining her body, and a white spot over her chest where a hollow's hole would be. Her red-tipped hair had grown passed her shoulders from behind her head. Finally was her face now covered by the skull of a wolf; an Alpha Beowulf in Ren's case with those murderous red eyes staring back at them with a curved horn over each of them. Ruby, now this creature, didn't give a roar but gave the same maniacal laughter that spoke volumes of torture and cruelty promising all in its sight.

Ichigo's sword arm was shaking. Not in fear of dying though, but a much worse fear. The kind of fear that one he held precious was probably lost yet again.

* * *

 **That's a wrap. Since this incident with Ruby's inner demon, she will have no choice but to go to the Vizards to help. This will also make Ichigo come along if only to look after Ruby. Also, what do you think Senna's Semblance should be? I want to revolve around how there are autumn leaves surrounding her kind of like with the roses of Ruby's Semblance.**

 **Up next is Chapter 23.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	23. Goddess of Destruction

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).

A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?

 **Chapter 23: Goddess of Destruction**

(Kisuke's Shop)

Kisuke Urahara wasn't surprised by many things. Ichigo and Aizen are good exceptions but the former captain of Squad 12 never let it show. Even when Ichigo came back with news of Aizen acquiring the Hogyoku, he kept his shock under a cold exterior.

But when he felt that oppressive reiatsu wash over the town like a chillwind, he visibly stopped his motions in his lab. Screw getting exploded in the face with not maintaining the equipment he was currently experimenting with. His jaw almost fell of its hinges in shock. Under the shadow of his hat, Kisuke's eyes were widened and a sweat was going down his brow.

This reiatsu was of a hollow like no other. An Inner Hollow.

"Kisuke!" voiced Yoruichi in her cat form.

"That was a hollow's reiatsu." Kisuke stated blankly.

"An Inner Hollow to be exact." said Yoruichi, her voice laced with alarm, "It's far too soon. How could Ichigo be losing control over his hollow?"

Kisuke lifted his chin and spoke in a voice that was devoid of his eccentric nature. "Look closer. That's not Ichigo."

Yoruichi extended her senses in depth and a frown formed on the cat's face in frustration.

"How could it not be Ichigo?!" Yoruichi protested, "He's the only one-"

The cat's eyes widened in shock and fear when her senses dug deep enough. Buried upon crushing layers of the horrendous spiritual energy was a familiar signature. If was Ichigo, Yoruichi wouldn't have dashed off while transforming in her nude human form at speeds desperate at her standards. When she felt it was Ruby's reiatsu under all of that, untold fear coursed through Yoruichi's veins.

'Please, Kami,' thought Yoruichi, 'let me be fast enough to make it in time.'

She couldn't fail her student. Not ever again.

(The bridge.)

 **"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"** cackled the Adjuchas form of Gruby, **"Finally that idiot will be gone."**

Ren stared with shocked eyes that Ruby of all people with her bubbly nature suddenly turned into a devil of monsters before him. For the first time since he was training after Soul Society, doubt gripped his psyche. His hands were either too soft or too hard on the hilts of his dual bayonet blades. After all that time pushing himself to go passed the limit, to be able to fight better for his friends, he could do nothing. What could he do against a monster that is also one of his closest friends?

Ichigo's lips were quivering in rage. Tensa Zangetsu was shaking in his hand. This thing was turning Ruby into something she isn't. There was none of that light that dazzled Ichigo on that date. There was none of that innocence in those blood red eyes. Ruby was being taken away from his by this monster. No, he's supposed to protect her. He won't let her go away.

 **"Give up now, lover boy."** Gruby cackled, **"She's already dead-"**

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo bellowed. In his fury, his reiatsu erupted off of him making a pillar of black rise into the sky. His gaze hardened on Gruby, showing the protector was not backing down. Ichigo poised Tensa Zangetsu and charged forward.

"Give her back!" cried Ichigo, **"Getsuga-"**

 **"I have a retort."** said Gruby, forming a red orb in her mouth, **"Cero."**

 **"-Tensho."**

The Cero and Getsuga Tensho met in a power clash. The pressure of the two reiatsu attacks made the bridge shake and crack. Unfortunately, the Cero pierced through the Getsuga Tensho after a few seconds of struggle and continued its path of destruction. Ichigo raised Tensa Zangetsu to defend just in time. The Cero split in two but Ichigo could feel his arms burn from the opposing energy and his feet slid back. He pushed reiatsu into his blade and dissipated the Cero.

Ichigo was not ready as Gruby forced a Beowulf-sized fist into him. The force of the punch let out a sickening crack in the air and sent Ichigo skidding against the ground. He coughed out some saliva before forcing himself up again. Gruby didn't give him a chance to retaliate, getting on three limbs with the remaining right arm holding the scythe and ran after the orange-head like a wolf hunting prey. He had no chance to defend himself.

 **"Hado 31: Shakkaho."**

A red ball of reiatsu the size of Ichigo's body slammed into Gruby knocking her back when it exploded. Ichigo turned back to see that it was Ren who fired the Kido blast.

"Where's Senna?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't worry." said Ren, "I've placed Kido barriers around her. Right now, we need to fix this."

"Just don't hurt her, alright?" Ichigo nearly pleaded.

"I would never bring harm to any of my friends." stated Ren with a firm tone.

 **"Shall we dance?"** proclaimed Gruby, waving a clawed finger for a 'come at me'.

Ichigo and Ren disappeared in shunpo with Ichigo attacking at the front and Ren flanking from the left side. Behind the mask, Gruby was grinning wolfishly. The scythe spun with an expertise against Ichigo. She used her left arm to swat away blows from Ren's blades that sparked off the layer of bony quills on the limb. Despite two-on-one and the size difference, the pseudo-shinigami couldn't make good ground.

'Not only is this hollow strong, it has skill.' thought Ren.

'What the heck kind of monster knows how to move like that?' thought Ichigo, barely ducking under a scythe.

Gruby twirled around, smacking Ichigo away with a backhand and pushing Ren back with a slash from Mazazoru. The quills on her left arm extended and thickened. They slowly turned black like iron. With a flick of her arm, Gruby sent a volley of black spines after the pseudo-shinigami.

 **"Bakudou 81: Danku."**

Ren summoned a high-level Kido barrier that shimmered like glass in front of them. The quills managed to get halfway through the barrier before getting stuck. However, one unfortunate quill of black pierced through and struck Ren in his shoulder. If he didn't have a Kido barrier in place at all, Ren wouldn't even have a shoulder anymore.

"Damn!" Ren cured, sinking to one knee in pain. Foreign reiatsu acted like a neurotoxin into his body, sending wave after wave of pain.

"You're hurt." said Ichigo. Gruby fired a Cero, but Ichigo was fast enough to get a hold of Ren and shunpo a safe distance away.

Ren grabbed onto Ichigo as he saw Gruby charge them down. There was a crack of lightning and a white blur that knocked Gruby back crashing into the asphalt of the bridge. Ichigo and Ren came to view Yoruichi who arrived on time bathed in white lightning of her Shunko. It did not help that she was butt naked.

"Hey boys." Yoruichi said, completely ignoring the fact she has no clothes on, "Did I come in time?"

Ichigo blushed brighter than his orange hair as he looked away. Ren's response was to toss a set of Yoruichi's clothes he always had on hand when the situation arose. After that little incident in Soul Society, Ren could not look at Yoruichi the same way. It was such a strong throw that it knocked Yoruichi off balance.

"Okay, okay, I get the message, Ren." said Yoruichi, already clothed once she got up.

 **"OW!"** cried Gruby as the Adjuchas picked herself up and cracked its jaw in place, **"Oh look, it's the stripper."**

A dangerous look descended on Yoruichi's face, complimented with a twitching eyebrow and a tick mark. She cracked her knuckles ready to get an apology, hollow or Ruby. Ichigo joined Yoruichi at her side, poising Tensa Zangetsu forward in a basic Kendo stance.

"What can we do?" Ichigo muttered, his sword arm weakening trying to find a solution.

"I," Ren groaned out, taking out the quill and applying some healing Kido, "might have...a possibility."

Yoruichi nodded and took charge in a flash of white lightning. She next appeared punching Gruby in the gut. The hollow only growled in fury and smashed down a clawed hand that Yoruich avoided with a back-flip. The Flash Goddess shupoed to retaliate with a kick, but Gruby expertly blocked it and slashed her scythe to force her opponent to the ground. Yoruichi went for quick punches, but was caught off when on a third strike was caught by Gruby. Yoruichi went on the receiving end for a moment before she ducked then jumped to knee Gruby in the chin.

'She knows Ruby's hakuda.' thought Yoruichi, swinging a left hook on Gruby.

Those red eyes narrowed with fury. When Yoruichi disappeared in a shunpo again, her eyes widened when her fist passed through thin air and Gruby disappeared with a sonic boom. Yoruichi felt a devastating punch from behind knocking her into the concrete forming a crater. She disappeared with shunpo to counter, but again touched nothing. When she heard the sonic boom again, Yoruichi barely shielded herself to block a clawed punch.

 **"Perhaps I should remind you that speed is my shtick!"** Gruby snarled.

'That wasn't shunpo.' thought Yoruichi, dodging a Cero and quills, 'That was freaking sonido.'

Meanwhile, Ichigo was conversing Ren's idea while helping him with his wound.

"What are you thinking of?" asked Ichigo.

"I've been experimenting on my own take of Jinzen." explained Ren, slightly wincing with pain, "Using both Aura and reiatsu, the idea is to delve into another's mindscape, Zanpakuto and Inner Hollows included. But you have a better chance of pulling this off than I do."

"Why is that?" Ichigo wondered.

"It was Ruby who unlocked your Aura." said Ren, "You two are more connected than anyone else. It has to be you."

Ichigo nodded and stood up. He took a deep breath while shying away one of his hands away from Tensa Zangestsu. Slowly his Aura condensed around his hand followed by his black reiatsu.

'Damn.' thought Ichigo, 'Even after all those control exercises I can only hold it for a short time.'

Ichigo glanced between Ren and the flickering forms of Gruby and Yoruichi fighting it out.

"Ren, get me an opening." Ichigo told.

Ren nodded and aimed with a good steady hand. Electricity crackled on his fingers as he concentrated his reiatsu. There was an opening for a short time, but he took it. The Huntsman fired a wordless Byakurai. The bolt struck Gruby in the shoulder, momentarily stunning her before she could use sonido.

Ichigo leapt forward with all his speed giving zero chance to dodge. Behind the mask, Gruby grinned as Ichigo got closer without having Tensa Zangetsu to defend himself.

 **"Congratulations." cackled Gruby, "You're dead."**

Ichigo managed to get his palm on Gruby's just before the blablade of Mazazoru sliced into his gut.

(Ruby's Mindscape)

The moment Ruby lost control to her Inner Hollow there was no sign of Summer. Instead, Ruby was fighting for survival by Gruby. At first it was a struggle to defend herself from attacks both fanatical and brutalizing. Her power ebbed away while Gruby grew stronger taking that power.

Now Ruby could hardly lift her weapon at all. Her breathing was labored and her right arm was limp sporting a bleeding injury on the shoulder. Ruby could taste blood in her mouth that was drooling from the corner of her lip. Her legs were buckling barely barely to support her own weight.

Gruby was completely unharmed, sporting her constant grin. But the glint in those red eyes showed her boredom.

 **"Pathetic." said Gruby.**

Gruby fired a ballistic shot at Ruby's gut. It wasn't enough to pierce flesh but the physical force made Ruby cough out a few mouthfuls of blood. She dropped to her knees in pain.

 **"Weak."**

Gruby crossed the distance with sonido and cut deeply into her thigh. Ruby cried out in pain and fell on her back.

 **"I will not have myself be the lesser being of this soul." said Gruby, stomping on Ruby's chest getting coughs of blood, "I am stronger than you, faster than you, and smarter than you. You've already failed in your passed existence. I will never - let you - have - another!"**

"...s...st-stop..." Ruby wheezed.

Gruby picked Ruby up by her hood. **"Begging, are we?"**

Ruby wheezed. "W-we a-a-are the...same."

Gruby tossed Ruby into the ground with a sickening crunch. She laughed but there was a furious undertone laced in it.

 **"That's where you are wrong." Gruby stated, "No, you couldn't be farther from the truth. I've hated you all your life. You had everything that should be mine! And finally, I can take it all back."**

Gruby flattened her free hand to drive it into Ruby's head. Her eyelids could barely stay open to witness her demise. Seconds went by but nothing happened except a gasp of surprise from Gruby.

"She's not going anywhere."

Ruby snapped her eyes open at that voice. Right in front of her was Ichigo holding back Gruby's hand. Tensa Zangetsu loomed over Gruby brimming with dark reiatsu.

 **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Ichigo fired the blast at point-blank at full power, sending Gruby careening into the distance.

Unable to fight it, Gruby screeched. **"DAMN YOU, ICHIGO KUROSAKI."**

Gruby was gone in an explosion of reiatsu. The mindscape returned to normal and Ruby's 'wounds' healed. Ruby could only stare in fascination at her crush who just saved her.

"Thank you." Ruby squeaked.

Ichigo gave a warm smile. "I just missed that sparkle in your eyes."

Ruby blushed but didn't avert her gaze. The last she saw was the two of them just looking back at each other's soul.

(Real World)

Whatever happened once Ichigo touched Gruby's mask, it worked. The Adjuchas froze still till it cracks littered its body starting from the mask. It shattered revealing Ruby human and healthy. The hide that made up the Adjuchas was soon turned to dust in the wind.

"I'm...back." panted Ruby, "Thank you Ich-"

Her eyes dilated into horror at the sight before her. Ichigo stood his hand trailing down her right arm awfully pale. Ruby regretted looking down where her own scythe had impaled Ichigo with a wound as bad as the one Kenpachi gave. Ichigo coughed blood and bowed down over in silent agony. Ruby's heart froze when she looked at her hands that were still held onto the weapon, wet with Ichigo's fresh blood.

His blood, his life spilling on her own hands. She caused this.

"Why?" cried Ruby. "Why did you do that?"

"Don't worr..." Ichigo trailed off when he stumbled back. The blade left Ichigo with a sickening squelch of flesh ripping apart. That was when Ruby managed to break out of her paralysis, dropping Mazazoru with shaking hands, and catch Ichigo on the fall.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." whimpered Ruby, tears blurring her vision, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry. Just don't die. Don't die. Don't - don't-"

Ruby's words were choked down by sobs. It happening again. She was losing another one of her precious people, and it was all her fault again. She could only cling onto Ichigo as though trying desperately to keep life in him still.

"Don't...cry." Ichigo muttered weakly, putting a hand on Ruby's cheek. Her crying silver eyes looked into his brown eyes that were still warm. There wasn't a shred of hatred toward Ruby, even when she was the sole cause of his fatal wounds. Her hands gripped onto his for dear life. She can't lose him. She just can't.

"PLEASE HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP! PLEASE!"

Yoruichi appeared even before Ruby's crying for help, and rushed off with her fastest speeds back to Urahara's. No matter how far she went, she could still hear Ruby's sobs echoing in her head.

'I swear to Kami, Ichigo,' thought Yoruichi, 'you better live for her. If you die, I am going to murder you in the next life for making Ruby cry.'

(The Next Day)

Ren was retiring to heal his wounds while acquainting with Senna at Urahara's shop. They got along well enough as friends and teammates for Team SIRR. Senna's usual carefree attitude was unfortunately shadowed by the walking gloom that was isolating herself in a fetal position on a chair. She had not said a single word to anyone ever since the incident. Her eyes were now dim compared to the light they held. Like a literal piece of her soul was forcibly removed and she was desperately holding onto it.

Yoruichi called Isshin and informed him of Ichigo's injuries, who relayed to the twins that Ichigo got into an accident that saved Ruby. When they tried to visit, the twins couldn't force themselves to approach Ruby seeing how much emotional pain she was in. There was heavy blame and guilt riddled in her eyes. A detail nobody failed to notice.

'Onii-chan has no idea how lucky he is to have her.' thought Yuzu.

Ren put on a mask but on the inside he was a mix of worry and fury. Worry for Ruby's state of mind and Ichigo's life from the wounds, and fury at Ichigo for putting the once bubbly Huntress into depression. If he died, Ren knew Ruby would put herself in a hole and never climb out. And he would be sure there would be literal hell to pay for that.

The paper doors slid open and out walked Tessai and Urahara. They had a neutral expression that put up an ominous mood in the room.

"Great news." announced Urahara, breaking the mood with his cheerfulness, "Ichigo rises and shines yet again when an inch from death."

"Is he ready to have guests?" asked Yoruichi.

"Technically no." said Tessai, "Despite his condition, Ichigo is adamant to be on his own two feet."

Before a word was said, a gust blew passed them followed by a trail of rose petals into the room where Ichigo rested. Urahara and Tessai were going to follow until Yoruichi stopped them.

"Let her go." Yoruichi stated, "She needs this, and hopefully Ichigo will come out less stupid by my hopes."

The men shivered at the hidden meaning in Yoruichi's words. It was situations like this where sorrow and anger are blurred. Perhaps being impaled by a scythe wasn't such a bad way to die.

Ruby stopped herself before a small room where Ichigo lay on a futon looking to the side. Just moments ago, he was so close to death that his skin was pale and cold. Now, Ruby could feel the warmth of life from his body. She reluctantly took a step forward, but the floor creaked grabbing Ichigo's attention. The Huntress froze on the spot, her heart refusing to beat waiting for a response.

Would he be mad? Would he ignore her presence or hate her? Would he forgive her at all?

"Hey Ruby, you okay?" Ichigo greeted with a smile, absolutely no ill feelings toward Ruby. He was no different than the day before.

Ruby felt a wave of emotions hit her at once. The first was relief that Ichigo was alive, joy that he was concerned for her, and guilt of inflicting his injuries. Then it stayed on one burning emotion. Anger.

Her fists clenched at her sides as she stomped to Ichigo, who was clueless in her advance. Her face contorted in fury, making Ichigo sweat bullets and the natural fear of all men that is an angry woman. Ruby had never been any more angry in her life until now.

"Uh, did I do something?" Ichigo asked sheepishly.

Her response was a kick that sent Ichigo to the wall and on his behind.

"IDIOT!" Ruby screamed.

"W-Woah, hold on." Ichigo cried on deaf ears.

Ichigo barely ducked under Ruby's punch that made a hole in the wall. He stumbled further away from the Huntress his pain numb in the threat of danger. He jumped, ducked, and rolled out of her attacks.

"DUMBASS!" cried Ruby, tears swelling on her eyes, "DUMMY! STUPID! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"

Ruby's punches became weak and sluggish. Her cries of anger turned into sadness, and rivers of tears poured down her face. Ichigo could only look at Ruby with a heavy heart. He couldn't understand why Ruby was so mad at him, and it hurt him. Both physically and emotionally.

"Why did you have to do that?!" cried Ruby, her punches doing no damage at all on Ichigo who didn't move, "Didn't you realize you were going to die?!"

"You think that I could stand by like that?!" said Ichigo, "You were in trouble. I had to help you no matter what. Even if I have to make some sacrifices."

Ruby renewed her strength and grabbed Ichigo by his shirt. Her eyes showed so much hurt Ichigo could only look with guilt.

"WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Ruby screamed, "YOUR SO-CALLED SACRIFICE ALMOST GOT YOU KILLED AND IT WAS MY FAULT. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FELT?!"

"Ruby, it isn't your fault." Ichigo consoled.

"Yes it is." Ruby cried, lowering her head closer to Ichigo's chest, "I was the one who lost control and hurt my friends. Only a monster does that."

Ichigo didn't know what made his body move. The next the pair knew, Ichigo pulled Ruby closer into a hug. In his arms, Ruby felt safe again and the his heartbeat put her at peace.

"You're nothing like a monster." said Ichigo, "I don't see any kind of monster. I see Ruby Rose, a person who's so full of light and heart she shares it with everybody without hesitation. She's kind, brave, and so cheerful I could cry. You're an amazing, no, the most amazing person I know. You'll never be a monster."

They looked at each other for what felt like hours. The tears stopped their flood, leaving her eyes red and puffy. Ichigo gently caressed her soft face, wiping away any tears that marred her beauty. His touch was soft and warm that sent shocks through Ruby. The light in her eyes returned, but it grew into an intense desire.

Ruby acted with no thought of going back. She pinned down Ichigo with a push. The pseudo-shinigami thought he was in for another beatdown. All thought of danger the second Ruby kissed Ichigo on the lips. Her eyes were closed letting the kiss show her passion and love she had bottled up inside. Tears went down her face again but they were drizzle compared to last time, and were full of happiness. Ichigo's eyes widened like dinner plates, and is face went red. His first thought as the prude was to push Ruby away, but as the second went by he realized there was nothing to complain about. Here was this girl, putting her heart out to him when she saw all his faults and pros and accepted them all with grace. They both had their demons, but they can look passed that. They may face troubles in the future that threaten to break them apart, but they can push through. Ichigo couldn't say that it was trust that she felt for Ruby anymore.

His eyes closed as he returned the kiss with as much passion as he could to satisfy Ruby. Her hands went to his orange locks, gripping onto them for dear life. She never wanted to let go; she needed him to stay. Ichigo accepted her need by hugging her closer.

The pair separated for need of breath. Ruby reached a hand to Ichigo's cheek. In turn, Ichigo held in place relishing the caring touch.

"I love you, Ichigo." Ruby whispered.

"Then you are mine and I am yours." said Ichigo.

 **That's how you do it. I love doing this and how good they come out.**

 **Up next is Chapter 24.**

 **Stay in touch. Please leave a review.**


	24. The Vizards Get a Grimm

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based** **parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 24: The Vizards Get a Grimm**

Yoruichi was leaning her back against the wall just outside the room where Ruby and Ichigo were alone. She cursed her long-time friend Kisuke for making the whole place sound-proof. That thought didn't deter her excitement at the scene she could only hope to imagine. When one would think saving a girl at the near cost of death would get you praising, in a real instance it is a vicious verbal berating followed by a few smacks. And that's not even close to the extreme anger when Ruby flared her reiatsu a few minutes ago. However, it soon turned complacent and calm, and stayed that way for rest of time Yoruichi stood there.

'May as well check on them.' Yoruichi decided in her head.

She quietly slid the paper doors open. What her eyes laid down upon was an even greater sight than she thought. Instead of Ruby beating down Ichigo in a wild fury, the two were making out on the floor. Of course, there was some signs of a rampage if the holes in the walls or the craters in the floor didn't reveal anything. If it wasn't for the orange hair, Yoruichi would not believe it was actually Ichigo the 'Prude King' in a lip-lock with her Red Flash.

A grin split Yoruichi's face that put Gin to shame. Her hand reached into a pocket and brought out a camera. She was shaking to try and hold in her laughter. After snapping the button, the flash of the camera was the warning that the pair on the floor weren't alone.

Ruby and Ichigo parted and their eyes widened on sight of Yoruichi with a camera in hand giving them a smile that sent a shiver down their spines. Ichigo's face turned into his signature scowl with both of his eyebrows twitching.

"A little privacy maybe?" said Ichigo.

Yoruichi's smirk got bigger. "Look at you. You finally grew out of your prude manners, and actually being the man you should be. Speaking of...I know who else would be happy to see this."

Before even an inch of Ichigo's muscles could move, Yoruichi disappeared in a shunpo. Their minds echoed her laughter as she dashed through and to wherever she might be with her speed.

"Looks like you got blackmailed." voiced Ruby after snapping out of her stupor.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Ruby. "Don't you mean 'we' got blackmailed? I don't even want to think what Goat-chin will do."

"Uh...oops." said Ruby sheepishly. Her eyes blinked and they hardened with concern. "Do you think you'll get better soon?"

"My body feels numb." said Ichigo, "Probably from any pain-killers Hat n' Clogs put in me. I will most likely not be able to move today once the pain comes back."

Ruby's eyes softened. "As long as you're alright." Suddenly, her innocent aura took a full 180 and her silver eyes bore daggers into Ichigo's skull. "Just don't anything too stupid, okay Ichi-kun?"

"Y-Yeah." Ichigo almost squeaked in fear, "Won't move a single muscle."

"Good." said Ruby, going back to normal and giving a quick peck on Ichigo's lips.

"You should go." Ichigo suggested, "Hat n' Clogs may have found something to help you."

Ruby nodded and reluctantly left Ichigo alone in the room. She returned to where the rest of Team SIRR waited until Senna perked up seeing Ruby for the first time since yesterday. Ruby herself didn't even see Senna till she latched unto Ruby in a hug.

"Thank you so much." Senna praised, "You gave me a chance. You gave me my own life and friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Easy there, Senna." Ruby chided, "Just glad you're okay."

"Yep, I'm casting it in." announced Senna, "I vote Ruby to be team leader."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow in confusion. She glanced to Ren, who smiled and raised a hand giving his approving vote.

"Seriously?" said Ruby, puffing out her chest in pride, "Then I graciously accept the position as Team SIRR's leader."

A fake cough caught the trio's attention to Kisuke. He motioned Ruby to follow him to the front of the shop to speak more quietly. They sat on some cushions on the floor, and Kisuke offered a platter of cookies to keep the redhead comfortable. Literally easier done than said.

"So, uh," said Ruby after devouring a few baker's dozen, "do you have a way to help me?"

"Maybe." said Kisuke, then his expression turn serious, "How bad is it?"

Ruby stayed silent for a long while. She casted a downward glance to her hands. Ever since yesterday, not a single part of her felt familiar.

"I," said Ruby, her voice slightly breaking, "I can hear whispering in my head over and over. When I sleep, all I see is her staring right back at me. I'm helpless do anything. Mo - Mazazoru keeps her suppressed but I can barely feel her anymore. It hurts to even think. It's like she has her own roots in my head taking over all that I am. I don't even know if these are my thoughts."

Kisuke unfolded his fan in front of him without a wave. In his mind, Kisuke knew this was very, very bad. Among the Vizards, none of the Hollows could compare to the one in Ruby. It was an enigma itself. Not only is it strong, but it is far more cunning that it knows how to take over without force. At this point, it is a risk for Ruby to continue her shinigami duties. Unless...

Kisuke couldn't stop his smile returning as his genius mind once again produced a great idea. Ruby has no choice to go to the Vizards to suppress the Hollow under her own will. And now, Ruby earning Ichigo's affection, the orange head will most likely accompany her to keep her safe like the gentlemen he is. Killing two massive brids with one measly stone.

Kisuke put on his cheery manner and announced. "Ruby, I know some very good people who would be happy to help you. For now, get some rest for the day until tomorrow while I get everything ready. Also, I would suggest you and Ichigo use your bodies to avoid any complications with the experimental Soul Candy after this incident."

Ruby pouted, but agreed full-heartedly. The annoyance of dragging away one's own body was nothing compared to the fear of being a danger to her friends. Later shortly, Ruby retrieved and entered her human vessel to retire fofor the day. She was never completely there as noted in her step; too distracted by the sadistic and maddening whispers of Gruby.

(Next Day)

Ren and Senna acquainted themselves at Urahara's, and as a team member wanted to know her strengths and weaknesses. After a few friendly spars and reiatsu capabilities, it was discovered that Senna was at best 4th Seat level of average power. Her Kendo was straightforward and defensive, yet flowing like wind, but her hoho and shunpo were very lacking. However, it came as a surprise to Ren that not only was she talented in Kido, she had a higher affinity in the healing branch then Ren did. While Team SIRR was indisposed of for the moment, Ren and Urahara spent the time training Senna up to closer levels the rest of the team are.

Ruby did not bother leaving her apartment for the whole day. Orihime and Tatsuki were nice enough to visit when they noticed Ruby's dull mood. She kindly asked them to leave on the excuse she caught a flu.

Ruby got alert from her depressing mood on her bed when she got a message from Urahara to go to his shop on her matter. At the front of the shop stood Kisuke with Ichigo standing by his side.

"Okay," said Ruby, "What do we do with my Inner Hollow?"

Kisuke smiled. "As I said, I know a group of friends of mine who are very experienced in the matter. They will help you control your Hollow - and with some added benefits."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Ruby, and the pseudo-shinigami present gave Kisuke a glare.

"You'll find that out." said Kisuke not at all intimidated.

Ichigo gave his scowl feeling something off. He stepped closer to Ruby and faced the shopkeeper with an analyzing eye.

"I'm coming with her." announced Ichigo, getting a blush and wide eyes from Ruby.

'Hook, line, and sinker.' thought Kisuke, trying his damn hardest not to smile too much.

"I know you trust these guys, Urahara-san," said Ichigo, his glare boring knives, "but lately your plans have been really lax to say kindly.

"Oh, you hurt me Ichigo." said Urahara, putting on fake innocence, "Since when have my plans ever been like that?"

Before Ichigo lost his temper, Ruby made her presence reminded.

"Enough." Ruby voiced in a monotone manner, "Let's just get this over with."

Ichigo's eyes looked painful looking at the nearly broken spirits Ruby. Ichigo memorized and the pair headed to the designated address to Kisuke's allies. They walked in complete silence for several blocks. The orange-looked to his alternate world girlfriend and saw hidden agony under her baggy eyes, which indicated she didn't get any sleep. She would wince as though trying to block out deafening noise to no end.

His first thought was to comfort Ruby by grabbing her abruptly in a hug. His hollow was having just a tiny bit of influence on him, but his prude nature was still present. Ichigo took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm good." Ruby lied.

Ichigo gave Ruby a disapproving look. He didn't break contact with Ruby who turned her gaze to the ground. She was brought out of her trance when Ichigo grabbed a soft hold on her hand.

"You can tell me." said Ichigo, "I'm here for you."

Ruby's face contorted in conflict. Her eyes were holding back tears of emotions that were wreaking havoc on her head. Gruby's voice got louder, saying that no one would be with her. No one would love her, not even Ichigo. Glancing back at him, Ruby couldn't avert her gaze from his kind brown eyes that washed away the sting of Gruby's words.

"I hear her everytime." Ruby admitted, "She's everywhere. I don't feel like I'm alone. I don't feel safe. And the worse of all, I don't feel any of you are safe around me. The moment I let go, I won't be coming back."

"Don't say that." Ichigo argued, tightening his grip, "That's just what she wants you to do. Don't give up. I'll be there for you."

Ruby didn't break eye contact, but there was no other change in her mood.

Ichigo continued. "At least smile for me. You look better that way."

Ichigo halted the pair in their walk and wouldn't budge. Once Ruby realized was just going to persist, she summoned up the best smile she could muster despite her despair. It was very small but genuine.

"Thank you." Ruby mumbled.

Unexpectantly, Ruby leaned her weight onto Ichigo's side, relishing the feeling of safety in his close proximity. Ichigo fidgeted at first but relaxed knowing it was Ruby who deserved the right so.

"Can I just stay like this?" asked Ruby.

Ichigo smiled, wrapping his right arm around Ruby to pull her closer. They stayed like that in such an intimate position as they walked to their destination. Ruby's smile didn't grow nor did it fall. The whispers of Gruby became more of a hiss than the sadistic howling. The Remnantie pressed closer into Ichigo's side and let herself fall into bliss.

"We're here." Ichigo announced, snapping Ruby out of her trance.

The pair were standing in front of an abandoned warehouse, at least to the eyes of mortals. To the pseudo-shinigami, there were multiple signatures of strong reiatsu at Captain level. If that didn't do it, there was a Kido barrier right in front of them.

"Uh, what do we do now?" Ruby wondered.

Ichigo sighed. He took a few steps forward and touched the Kido barrier. Ruby, being a wielder of Kido, expected the barrier to burn his hand. When his hand was just a few inches from the barrier, it opened up to a size for two people to walk through.

Ichigo shrugged. "Looks like we are expected."

The pair continued toward the warehouse. The giant metal doors creaked open to them, but they didn't show any reaction whatsoever. There was only darkness waiting for them. Suddenly, Ruby and Ichigo tensed at the increase of several spiritual pressures very close by. The lights came on and the pair widened their eyes in surprise at what can only described as a ragtag group. The thing that shocked them was each and every one of them carried a zanpakuto but also had a hollow's spiritual pressure laced with theirs.

"And I thought I was going to have to go through all the trouble for you to join us, Ichigo Kurosaki." one of them spoke, a lean man with short blond hair and a wide grin, "But fate has put not one but two of you to us."

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded, leveling a glare at the strangers. Ruby was too sheepish to make herself voiced.

"Now, now, no need to be hostile." said the same stranger, "We aren't here to hurt you or your girlfriend. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Shinji Hirako."

"Love." introduced the stranger with the pointy afro.

"Rose, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." answered another with long flowing yellow hair.

"Mashiro." introduced a petite girl with green hair and wide brown eyes.

"Hiy-"

"Just call her Snaggletooth." Shinji interrupted, pointing a thumb to a small girl with two blonde ponytails and a tooth sticking out of her lip.

"It's Hiyori, asshole!" bellowed said person as she threw her sandle hard into Shinji's face. Everyone produced a sweatdrop.

 **'Hah, she's fun.'** Hichigo noted.

'Shut up.' Ichigo bit back.

 **'Congrats, you have hit rock bottom.'** said Gruby.

Ruby said nothing in response but she frowned on the outside.

"Kensei Muguruma." named the tall man with short grey hair and impressive build.

"Lisa Yadomaru." named a woman with black hair tied in a braided pony tail and wears oval glasses.

"And the gentle giant is Hachi." said Shinji pointing to a giant of a man in a green suit, a head of pink hair, and was in a meditative stance.

"Greetings." said Hachi in a small bow.

"How are you supposed to help us?" Ichigo questioned.

"No need to be so mean, even if Kisuke is a slight prick." said Shinji as he put his palm, "It's better to show you."

Ruby and Ichigo forgot to breath when they realized the all too familiar reiatsu of a Hollow and Shinji's skyrocket. Reiatsu gathered at Shinji's hand until it manifested into a Hollow's mask.

The pseudo-shinigami couldn't believe it. He had the reiatsu of a Hollow and its mask, yet he wasn't lolosing control.

"We are known as Vizards." Shinji explained, disspelling the mask away, "Shinigami who have stepped into the realm of the Hollow. You two are our people."

Ichigo and Ruby decided to put away questions about Vizards for now. They had to focus on the situation at hand for both their sakes.

"Say Ichigo." said Shinji, "You coming here means that you two are going to join us, right?"

"No!" Ichigo firmly denied, getting a weird look from Ruby. She couldn't understand why Ichigo wouldn't want to join them. At least, she herself wouldn't mind.

"Excuse me?" said Shinji, narrowing his eyes and his grin dropping.

"We won't join you guys." Ichigo stated, "But we _need_ you to show us how to control our Hollows."

"You shouldn't take us lightly." muttered Shinji.

Ichigo's instincts sent alarms through his body, but he only had enough time to summon his shinigami powers. Instead of ejecting his soul, Ichigo learned to manifest his powers into the real world, putting on the shihaksho and summoning Zangetsu. He just barely drew out his zanpakuto to block a blow from Shinji.

"You are going to have to prove to us if you want to make those demands." said Shinji, his grin gone replaced with seriousness.

"What about silver eyes over there?" asked Hiyori, giving an unfriendly look to Ruby.

Shinji turned to his accomplice with the same look he gave Ichigo. The attitude Hiyori was giving off was suppressed by that look. It meant Shinji was dead serious.

"You heard what Urahara-san said." Shinji replied, "Her Hollow's too strong at this stage to do a safe test of it. You all felt that spiritual pressure that day. She needs it."

 **'They all think I'm a Hollow?! Hah!'** commented Gruby, **'They have never seen anything like me.'**

"Good." said Ichigo, "At least I won't have to worry about you guys attacking her."

Ruby watched with worry as the two Vizards clashed about the warehouse, momentarily disappearing with shunpo only to appear again with the clap of steel against steel. It was obvious that Ichigo was on the losing side, especially when Shinji decided to adorn his Hollow mask. Ruby clenched her fists at her side. It may be just a test fight, but Ruby so wished to fight right alongside Ichigo so he wouldn't have to hurt himself for her sake. She didn't want to be weak for him.

Ruby was snapped out of her thoughts by an alarming rise of spiritual pressure from Ichigo. Unlike his usual reiatsu which felt so safe, this one was violent and cold. It expressed a thirst for battle. The left side of Ichigo's face grew a part of a mask with red stripes coming from the eyes and its jaw aligned with sharp teeth. His eyes turned pitch black with gold irises, unlike Ruby's eyes that turned red in her transformation.

The tides of the fight immediately turned on Shinji, and it was awful for him. The possessed Ichigo roared like a Hollow and dashing with such speeds that Shinji couldn't react to. He was forced into the wall and left to the mercy of Hichigo slowly choking the life out of him. The Vizards immediately rushed to their leader's aid, but Hichigo was prepared and swiped Zangetsu behind them, forcing the Vizards back from a wordless Getsuga Tensho.

Shinji's eyes rolled in the back of his head as his life was fading. Ruby swallowed down her shock and finally spoke since she got here.

"ICHIGO!" Ruby called, getting the possessed human's attention. As violent as those golden eyes seemed, Ruby did notice when they softened at her worried expression.

"Just stop." Ruby pleaded, "You won't let him kill anyone. You're the one who's in control, right?"

The maniacal smile dropped and Shinji was released. He fell to the ground with a few coughs while the possessed Ichigo floated down in front of Ruby eyes now filled with regret.

" **S-S** orry." Ichigo hissed out, his voice becoming less demonic. His hand went to the mask and ripped it off, showing his true warm brown eyes that Ruby adored. He was about to apologize further until she wrapped Ichigo in a hug.

"It's alright." Ruby said, "As long as you come back to me."

A fake cough from Shinji returned the pair's attention to the Vizards. The floor opened up into a ramp leading down into the ground where light came from. Without need of words, Ruby and Ichigo followed the Vizards into another copy of Urahara's 'basements'.

"Before we get started," announced Shinji, turning to Ruby, "in order to subdue your Inner Hollow, you need to have Bankai to stand a chance. So, Ruby was it? How far are you in achieving your Bankai."

"Almost done." Ruby answered automatically, "I can master it now."

Shinji smiled and gestured to Kensei. He disappeared in shunpo and reappeared a few seconds later with a Tenchintei. Ichigo and the Vizards made room for the Huntress as she stabbed Mazazoru into the doll and poured in her reiatsu. In a puff of smoke, the spirit Mazazoru appeared before Ruby. Ruby noticed that there were bags under Summer's eyes and she didn't have as much energy in her eyes.

"It's been a while." said Summer.

"I know." said Ruby, trying her best to not break her voice, "You know what I'm here for."

"Of course." said Summer with a weak smile. "Just one more lesson."

In a flash of light, a pure white short sword appeared in their sword hand. Mother and daughter crouched in the same stance with the blade resting on their other arm.

"This could be the last time I see you, Ruby." Summer reminded.

"It won't." Ruby denied, "I will get you back."

No other words were spoken. Ruby dashed forward for an opening. Summer parried it aside, and the colliding forces from the blades picked up a sizable gust. Summer straightened her grip and thrusted the blade aiming to nick Ruby's cheek. Ruby twisted around the zapakuto to strike Summer's left flank. In response, Summer twirled the same direction to keep a line of sight of Ruby.

Ruby disappeared in shunpo and reappeared throwing an axe kick above her. Summer raised her free left arm to block the blow, slightly wincing from the strength put in it. Summer used shunpo to avoid a downward stab, but Ruby chased her down at greater speeds in conjunction with her Semblance. The zapakuto managed out of the way from a downward slash that cut a crevice into the ground and blowing up a cloud of dust. Ruby pressed on again with a heavy side swing. Summer parried it and forced the two blades to the ground creating a crater below them.

They freed their weapons and entered a duel of attrition with neither side gaining an edge. Sparks flew off when their steel clapped together. Ruby could feel the toll of the ongoing fight. Her blade felt heavy in her right hand, and her vision blurred except on Summer. Seeing Ruby's winded state, Summer decided to end this. She forced Ruby's blade far from her front and went for a finishing.

Ruby knew her sword would never reach in time. Her defeat seemed inevitable as the opposing blade drew closer. But she was not to fail when in desperation Ruby came up with a stroke of genius. She activated her eyes, the silver flash blinding all the spectating Vizards but most importantly Summer. Her aim nudged away just enough for Ruby to reach behind the sword to knock it out by striking her wrist. Ruby's free hand stole the blade, then she twisted her body around, and stabbed Summer's own blade into her gut.

The proving was over. Ruby gazed to her mother's eyes expecting pain that would hurt her own heart in guilt, but she found a smile. Her form glowed and slowly dwindled away into Ruby's zapakuto. She put a hand on Ruby's shoulder to keep her attention.

"Well done, Ruby." Summer praised, "You have grown up spectacularly. Screw four years at Beacon, you are already a far greater Huntress than I could ever be. I am so proud of you."

Ruby couldn't say anything in return nor could she stop a few tears from dripping down her cheek.

"Remember this Ruby," said Summer, leaning towards Ruby's left ear, "Something that you deserve the right to know."

Summer whispered a few words too soft for anyone to hear. But Ruby caught the message and her eyes widened. Summer returned to level a kind stare with Ruby, her moments dropping as her form cracked.

"Even if you ever lose me, Ruby," said Summer, "know that I will always love you."

Summer kissed Ruby's forehead until she finally faded back into her zapakuto. Ruby did not know how long she stood there until Ichigo caught her attention.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" asked Ichigo.

"I'm good." Ruby answered wiping away any tears.

"So ready to move on?" said Shinji.

"Not yet." said Ruby, "This will be my first time with Bankai. I need a spar to get used to it. How about it, Ichigo?"

Ichigo smiled. "I'm only agreeing soI can break our tie."

The Vizards disappeared again to avoid being collateral damage between two Bankai. Ichigo and Ruby stood on opposing sides, Zangetsu and Mazazoru poised in their stances.

 **"Bankai."**

Black reiatsu laced in red erupted from Ichigo's body. When it cleared, Ichigo's shihaksho changed into a tighter look, and his zapkuto turned into a pitch black daito with a chain.

 **"Tensa Zangetsu."**

(Que "Don't Lose Your Way")

Ruby closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. White reiatsu flared off of Ruby in waves, constantly increasing without end. The ground gave away under the pressure of her power, and pebbles floated up from the sheer force. The whole basement groaned under their combined spiritual pressure, with Ruby's rising to match Ichigo. Her reiatsu exploded into a silver geyser, pushing back any stray wind and flattening the earth around her. It became like a storm surrounding Ruby's form. Cracks of pure power crackled off her body like lightning scorching through the earth around her. Her eyes opened but they were blinding in silver light staring back at Ichigo with a warrior's fervor. She spoke one word. One word of power that shakes the worlds of mortals and gods alike.

 **"Bankai."**

* * *

 **Yes, I am leaving a cliffhanger here. An awesome fight between Bankai Ichigo and Ruby deserves its own chapter. Guess what Ruby's Bankai could be?**

 **Up next is Chapter 25: Bloody Evolution**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	25. Bloody Evolution

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?**

 **Chapter 25: Bloody Evolution**

Silver and blue reiatsu exploded off of Ruby's body. The reiatsu turned into a literal storm blanketing the whole basement in its expanse. Ichigo had to plant his feet in the ground to avoid his feet slipping off the ground from the force. The Vizards had to cover their eyes from the bright light. The roar and bursts of energy continued for a few seconds before a pulse of force settled it down into a gentle state.

As the closest, Ichigo had the squint through the dust, but it was not needed by the glimmer that was brimming around Ruby. The first he noticed was that her whole attire had changed. The main color of it all was white, but this white shimmered like the light of the full moon. A larger white hood replaced Ruby's, wrapping around most of her figure and draped over her face. Ichigo could faintly notice Ruby wore white boots with black accessories running front the top of the foot and climbing up the leg. She wasn't wearing the uniform of the commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force, and was replaced with a white jacket that reminded Ichigo of Uryu's Quincy outfit, but had lines of black going in a "Y" shape from her shoulders and down her front. Under all that white however was deep red like a rose. If Ruby had her back turned to Ichigo it would've given the Huntress an ominous and mysterious vibe.

She no longer brandished a sycthe. It was replaced with a double-ended glaive of beautiful silver steel. The polearm was only a little taller than Ruby with highlights of sky blue to show the grip and a hole in the direct center perfect for spinning the weapon. The blades were wide as cleavers at the base they stuck on the polearm and continued to widen and bend slightly for almost two feet in length. Each blade bent in an opposite direction, and their blunt edges sported barbs like the thorns of a rose. Near the blades they brandished their own little flag, one being crimson and the other white like a star yet both bearing the symbol of Ruby's rose.

 **"Senshi Masutamazurozu."**

The shadow of Ruby's hood could not hide her silver eyes that gleamed with excitement. Ruby gave her new weapon a few test swings and twirls, sending waves of force with the smallest of movements.

"Ruby likey." mumbled the weapon-addict, almost drooling at the flawless craftsmenship.

 **'I'll admit, she's crazy.'** commented Hichigo, **'Guess that's why you like her.'**

Ruby snapped herself out of her obsession and brought her attention back to the duel. She flashed a grin at Ichigo who returned it. They both crouched in a stance. Ruby made the first move, spinning her glaive by her finger. The blades glowed as bright as her eyes till it looked like Ruby was holding a disc of silver light. The more it spun, the more reiatsu that was condensed till it started to spark.

"Here's my new move." announced Ruby, **"Howaitososa."**

Ruby swung her glaive releasing a spinning silver ring of white reiatsu as though she released a Getsuga Tensho. It ripped through the ground like sandpaper and rushed down Ichigo at a fast speed. He pointed Tensa Zangetsu forward for a last resort.

 **"Getsuga Ransu."**

The tip of his blade shot a lance of dark and red reiatsu momentarily clashing with the Howaitososa before canceling it out with pure piercing power. His instincts alerted him to danger from behind. He whipped Tensa Zangetsu behind him just in time to keep the edge of Senshi Masutamazurozu inches from his face. When brown eyes met silver, the pair made a smile.

"That almost looked like my Getsuga Tensho." Ichigo noted.

"Thanks." said Ruby, "I was trying to model my own, but I couldn't gather the right amount nor control. In Bankai however, there is perfect balance."

"Speaking of," said Ichigo, his blade billowing with dark reiatsu, **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Black reiatsu exploded where the combatants stood, but they easily got out of the blast zone with shunpo. They stayed at neutral distance, trying to note some weakness in their defenses and capitalize on it. Ruby twirled her glaive a few times, then purposely struck the end with the silver flag into the ground. The glaive of that flag glowed silver, and to Ichigo's confusion the ground she cut as well. She made more cuts and slashes in random parts of the ground, eliciting more glows of her reiatsu.

Ichigo's eyes widened when those cracks suddenly sprung white roses in an instant. In the seconds they grew, the stems wilted but the petals glowed and carried into nonexistent wind. Soon, Ruby stood surrounded by a dazzling show of silver roses.

A small blush appeared on Ichigo's cheeks. The way she stood there, pretty didn't cover it. She was gorgeous, more so than the flowers she grew.

'Wait a minute, why does it remind of Byakuya's zanpakuto?' thought Ichigo.

Ruby appeared in an instant in front of Ichigo, clashing with his blade. As the pair clapped their Bankai weapons together, Ichigo failed to realize the petals picking up speed around him. He suddenly winced when he felt a sting in his thigh. The distraction to check made Ruby press on with the attack, knocking him on the head with a blunt part of the glaive.

Another sting of pain, this time on his shoulder. Ichigo ignored it for now, but he did note the change in the storm of petals surrounding them. Ichigo successfully deflected a strike from Ruby, but his instincts alerted him to more danger from the same angle. He only took one glance at the corner of his vision, but widened seeing the silver petals dive towards him. Ichigo dashed out of the way to the side, but was punished with a kick from Ruby. It was better than having multiple petals that were as sharp of steel flying with the speed to embed themselves into the ground.

"You cheeky trickster." said Ichigo.

Ruby giggled. "I like to call it flower power, Ichi-kun. And sorry."

"What do you mea-"

Ichigo was interrupted from his sentence when the petals suddenly exploded in concussive blasts. Ruby got out of the way with shunpo, but Ichigo found himself laid back in a crater. Basically, everything in his body was cramped.

"Ow..." groaned Ichigo.

Mashiro laughed. "That shows you that even pretty flowers can be mean and dangerous."

"Since when have you said anything about that?!" exclaimed Kensei.

"Just now." said Mashiro.

With a few stifled groans, Ichigo picked himself up. Ruby had a smile that was way too innocent in light of the recent events of her basically blasting Ichigo into the ground. Hichigo probably had a point about her.

"Want to test our speed?" Ruby suggested.

Despite the ache, Ichigo smiled. "Let's do it."

The Vizards eyes widened when Ruby and Ichigo disappeared in shunpo then the whole basement was filled with afterimages of the two dodging, parrying, and striking in their 'duel'. Where one Ruby was overextending her reach, another pair of afterimages had Ichigo and Ruby in a lock glaring at each other. The air rippled from the colliding force of their zanpakuto like a chorus of drums.

"That is," noted Lisa, a bit shocked, "really fast."

"They look even on par in skill and speed it seems." said Kensei.

"That looks so much fun." said Mashiro. She was one of the fastest Vizards, and she just knew it was going to be so much fun having two more speed demon in the group.

 **"Getsuga Tensho."**

 **"Howaitososa."**

The afterimages dispersed when black and white reiatsu suddenly flashed in between the ground and 'sky' and split the basement in two different colors. The resulting clash proved a stalemate with both combatants forced back. They crashed, or more like shrugged, through multiple boulders before anchoring themselves in place. Ruby twirled her glaive around so the end with the red flag pointed forward. Instead of a silver glow, the blade hummed in red reiatsu. Even across the expanse, Ichigo could see the innocent smile on Ruby's face.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me?" cursed Ichigo, dreading what was going to follow.

To his horror, the blade acted like a muzzle firing an endless spray of red reishi bullets in Ichigo's direction. None were accurate, but the spread was vast and each bullet impacted with enough force to put a crater in a rock. Ichigo was sweating bullets pushing his speed to the limit to avoid the volley from hitting him. The closer he got, the more compact the spread till he was forced to use his blade to deflect the reishi bullets.

Ruby saw an opening and took it. She rushed down Ichigo with her Semblance, and aimed a punch that connected just below Ichigo's chest cavity. Or that would've if he didn't suddenly found himself staring at nothing. He felt that the space around him was different, and he looked back at Ruby with her back turned also confused. That confusion turned into a grin of glee.

"What the heck just happened?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"You did it!" squealed Ruby, jumping on the spot, "You've unlocked your Semblance."

"My...Semblance." said Ichigo, noticing now the blue glow around him, "What did I do?"

"That's...so...AWESOME!" Ruby screeched, dashing into Ichigo's personal space, "You switched places with me, like a blink. Think of all the things you could do. You could like switch places with a weapon, or, or, or, uh, probably switch two people from different places, and... wow... the possibilities with your Semblance are endless."

"Huh." said Ichigo, "I guess that is cool. Uh, how does it work?"

"Remember when I tried to punch you." said Ruby, "Sorry though."

"I can take a hit." said Ichigo, "But yeah. I think some sort of tickle. It was really weird, but it was so small."

"Your Semblance works like a muscle." Ruby explained, "The more you use it the better."

"Right, want to con-"

Ichigo stopped midsentence when he felt pain on his face. He collapsed on his knees clutching his head.

"Ichigo-"

Ruby was also cut off when a similar shocking sensation racked her head and she sank to her knees. Her eyes widened in terror hearing Gruby's voice howling in her head.

 _'Oi, what the hell!?'_ cried Ichigo.

 **'Sorry, couldn't help myself.'** cackled Hichigo, **'I sensed that your girlfriend's tenant was making her final move. I'll be damned if I just stand here and let that bitch kill me.'**

 _'That's not gonna happen.'_ said Ichigo, _'Ruby won't let that happen.'_

 _'Dammit, not now.'_ cursed Ruby.

 **'Your little spar just gave me more power.'** said Gruby, **'Come in here and we'll see who gets to earn their existence.'**

Shinji and the Vizards arrived on time. A Kido barrier was made around them with them standing in just beyond it.

"Nothing like the present." said Shinji, "Oi, this is your last chance. You've got to beat your Hollows now."

"But Shinji we've never done this with two of them." Lisa protested.

"We'll manage!" Shinji shouted, leaving no room for argument.

"It's okay." Ruby strained out, her voice becoming more demonic, "We'll make it through this. That's a promise."

Ichigo and Ruby gave an unearthly roar that shook the area. Black and crimson reiatsu bursted off their forms. When it dissipated, it revealed two Adjuchas. One of them was Ruby, taking the form of an Alpha Beowulf lookalike. Ichigo's Adjuchas form was white in comparison with red tribal markings running down his limbs and from his Hollow hole. His form was a foot taller than Ruby and a lot more muscular. The white Hollow had spikes on his shoulders, clawed hands and feet, and a muscular tail whipping about.

There was a moment of silence as the two Adjuchas turned their gaze to the Kido barrier. The Vizards produced a cold sweat under their combined stare. Then the unexpected happened: the wolf Adjuchas locked its gaze on the lizard Adjuchas and struck him instead. She swiped a claw at his chest, getting a roar of rage and the two ended up fighting themselves. It proved an even match between the two Adjuchas, where Ichigo had strength Ruby had agility.

The Vizards released a sigh of relief. With the two distracted, they wouldn't worry about the Kido barrier breaking before the time limit runs out.

"Great." said Shinji, "Now let's just hope they don't kill themselves from the outside."

* * *

(Inner World)

Ruby found herself in a suburban area in a neighborhood lined with expensive houses. Senshi Masutamazarozu was in her hand, but the question was where was Gruby. Was this change in her mindscape a trap by Gruby to throw Ruby off? What game was she playing?

"Ruby?" called a voice.

Ruby whipped the glaive around aiming the red flag end to shoot whoever was there, only to be confused when it was Ichigo who was at a loss as well.

"Is that really you Ichigo?" Ruby said, still on the alarm.

"How the heck am I supposed to prove it to you?" exclaimed Ichigo.

"I don't know, _strawberry_?" said Ruby.

To her delight, a tick mark marred Ichigo's forehead at the false interpretation of his name. "That is not what my name means!"

"Good, it is you." Ruby sighed in relief, resting her glaive.

"How the heck are we in the same mind?" wondered Ichigo, looking around the street they stood on.

 **"Because we are sharing our mindscapes."**

Ruby and Ichigo whipped their weapons in combat at the voice. Down the street approached their dopplegangers. Gruby held a glaive exact to Ruby only the steel was red and black. Hichigo had a copy of Tensa Zangetsu only it was pure white.

"Why does he have black lipstick?" Ruby asked, not at all intimidated.

"Why does she have a black hood?" Ichigo retorted, "Okay, you got me there."

 **"Oi."** called Gruby, **"Listen up when you're about to die."**

"Why did you bring both of us here?" Ichigo demanded with a scowl.

 **"Too hard not to."** said Hichigo, **"One final dance with all of us here. Maybe one of you will do it, maybe both of you, but what I want is both of you gone. Then, we can get to killing each other."**

 **"You mean when I run your thick skull into the ground and make it my personal stomper?"** Gruby 'corrected'.

Hichigo snickered but it was laced with fury.

"I've got news for you." stated Ruby, poising her glaive to oppose her enemies, "None of you are going to get our bodies."

 **"Is that so?"** hissed Gruby, licking her lips, **"The time for words has passed then."**

 **"That was lame."** snickered Hichigo.

 **"Quiet, dumby!"**

 **"Make me, bitch!"**

 **"You have more brains in your ass!"**

Ruby and Ichigo could only sweatdrop, then get serious when their dopplegangers blinked in front of them. They just barely managed to get their weapons in the right position to defend themselves. All the while, the Hollow and Grimm were laughing like maniacs.

* * *

(Ichigo vs. Hichigo)

Ichigo was dumbstruck by the strength Hichigo used against him. It was more than enough to dig through and run him through some buildings without stop. Ichigo tried pouring reiatsu into Zangetsu, but Hichigo only pushed more in response.

 **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Zangetsu brimmed with black reiatsu before Ichigo unleashed at his feet to bring about an explosion. A dust cloud hid them away until Hichigo swept it away.

Ichigo and the Hollow dashed towards each other locking their blades together. They quickly separated, white and black reiatsu churning between them.

 **"Why so angry, Ichigo?"** said Hichigo.

Ichigo just leveled a scowl at Hichigo. He was suddenly distracted by a silver glow in the distance. It was Ruby but what worried Ichigo was the crimson glow that was overtaking it. His instincts alerted him back to his own fight, barely deflecting a blow from Hichigo.

 **"What were you doing staring off into space?"** said Hichigo.

 **"Getsuga Ransu."**

Ichigo shot a laser of reiatsu from the tip of his blade. To his shock, Hichigo backhanded it away like it was a little nuisance. He disappeared and hammered his blade down upon Ichigo. As the pseudo-shinigami struggled to hold it back, Hichigo puts his free hand on the white blade.

 **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Ichigo could only widen his eyes as he was engulfed in an explosion of white reiatsu. When the dust settled, Hichigo stood unharmed with the tip of his blade dripping with blood. Ichigo, however, had the front of his clothes burned away and a bleeding gash down his torso.

 **"You really do suck, Ichigo."** Hichigo taunted, **"I was the first one to use Getsuga Tensho in Bankai."**

Before Ichigo knew it, Hichigo appeared in front of him and grasped his zanpakuto.

 **"Give it up."**

To Ichigo's horror, his blade turned white all the way to the hilt then disintegrated.

"Zan-Zangetsu!?" exclaimed Ichigo.

 **"That's not Zangetsu!"** Hichigo cried, weirdly with pure fury.

The next Ichigo knew, he was tosses through several houses. The rubble cleared showing Ichigo sporting new cuts on his face. His Aura took the brunt of the damage but now it can barely flicker to life.

 **"Ichigo, do you know the difference between a king and his horse?"** said Hichigo, spinning his sword by the chain, **"I'm not giving you a kid's riddle. Form, abilities, and power. Even if the two were exactly the same, one would be the king controlling the battle, and one would be the horse lending its power to the king. There's only one answer. It's instinct! In order for identical beings to gain power to become king, they must thirst for battle and to mercilessly crush, shred, and slice their enemies. But you don't have that. You lack those pure, basic instincts. That is why you are weaker than me, Ichigo!"**

Hichigo let go of the spinning blade into Ichigo's gut. The scream of pain died down in his throat, replaced by a cough of blood. The Hollow walked towards the impaled Ichigo.

 **"I'm not gonna have it, Ichigo."** said Hichigo, **"If you are weaker than me, then I will destroy you."**

They were interrupted when something crashed right next to them. The dust cloud settled to reveal Ruby and Gruby, the former struggling under the heel of the latter. Gruby's glaive was aimed right for Ruby's heart.

 **"I would agree if it weren't so much crap."** Gruby commented.

Despite the situation that got some surprised from all three present.

Gruby smiled. **"You see that's the difference between us, me and the Hollow. While I so want to kill this waste of space and get my own life, he actually cares for you in his own over-the-top tough love. No matter how many times he threatens you, they are all empty. If it were up to him, you wouldn't but be like this."**

"What do you mean?" groaned Ichigo. Hichigo was oddly quiet.

 **"He-he-he-he."** Gruby chuckled, **"We are all freaks here from our worlds. In Ruby, a shinigami wrapped with silver warrior and Grimm. You, a born shinigami, Hollow...and Quincy."**

Ichigo and Ruby widened tbeir eyes. A shinigami and a Hollow he could understand, but a Quincy? No one in his family besides his siblings showed signsvof being spiritually aware. Except maybe his...mother?

"This whole suppressing should really be for me since I'm the real threat." Gruby continued, "You know what's the best part? You've been lied to this entire time. That old man was holding back your true power because he was never Zangetsu. The real Zangetsu is-"

 _"SILENCE!"_

A clap of steel rang through the mindscape. Gruby stood sming while holding back a black Tensa Zangetsu with her fingers. The one who attacked made Ruby, Ichigo, and even 'Hichigo's' eyes widen.

It was the now known false Zangetsu.

* * *

 **Uh oh. Gruby really messed up everything for the Quincy spirit. How will Ichigo face this shocking truth that the spirit who helped him train to protect people actually lied about his true power? And who really is Gruby?**

 **Up next is Chapter 26: Existence**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	26. Existence Vol 1

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 26: Existence Vol. 1**

 **"So you can get angry."** said Gruby, **"I shot a really good nerve there."**

"Zan-Zangetsu?" gasped Ichigo, the pain in his gut suddenly numb to the sight of the old man, "H-How are you here?"

"Okay, seriously." said Ruby, despite being pressured below Gruby's foot, "What is wrong with your head, Ichigo?!"

 **"Well this whole thing went straight to hell."** said Hichigo, **"This is funny."**

 **"I know, right?"** Gruby agreed.

A moment of silence as the two stared at each other with wide eyes.

"..."

"..."

 **"..."**

 **"..."**

 **"Did we just agree on something?"** said Hichigo.

 **"I think we did."** gasped Gruby.

* * *

(In hell)

The Devil himself was enjoying his eternal routine until he nearly choked on an impossibility. His realm was freezing over.

"WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING UP THERE?!"

* * *

(Back to the fight)

 **"Now, where was I before I was rudely interrupted?"** Gruby mused.

 _"You shall say no more."_ Zangetsu' declared.

The false Zangetsu lifted his blade and swung for Gruby's legs. She didn't spare a glance to the spirit. Her legs automatically lifted over the blade and landed softly on it with cat-like precision. 'Zangetsu's' eyes widened and the next he knew he was knocked away from a kick. The force was enough to dig him into the ground.

 **"Oh yeah, that old fart there."** said Gruby, tapping her chin, **"He's a good actor, I'll give him that. He was playing you like a fiddle with the so-called power he was giving you. In his selfish pride, he took the place of Zangetsu and wanted to drive you away from your true strength because it was from a Hollow."**

Gruby paused to level a grin and a stare at Ichigo and Hichigo.

 **"The real Zangetsu,"** Gruby revealed, pointing to Hichigo, **"is him."**

Ichigo completely forgot that there was a literal sword impaling him. It was nothing compared to the storm of emotions as he returned wide eyes at his 'Inner Hollow'. He felt betrayal that the old man he trusted as his teacher lied about his power, and confusion of how this was possible. Hichigo met his stare his smile flattened. The words didn't come out but Ichigo was demanding an answer.

After what felt like days, Hichigo nodded confirming what Gruby said.

"Wha..." Ichigo choked out.

 **"I am Zangetsu."** said Zangetsu, **"I never really wanted to hurt you or any of your friends. Whenever I tried to give you my power, it was because I wanted to help you. The only reason you, or rather we, were out of control is because I didn't possess the shinigami powers since a certain prideful bastard decided he wanted to do things his own way. Personally, I don't hate him, but I would've done things differently."**

The fake Zangetsu launched from hid down position, his blade poised to strike Gruby yet again. The Grimm gave the spirit a grin and bended back with impossible flexibility from the blade. The fake corrected himself and swung down, but met Gruby's glaive.

 _"Don't listen to her and push on-"_

"IS IT TRUE?!" Ichigo shouted, stopping all combatants in place, "IS IT TRUE YOU LIED TO ME?! WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME?!"

The fake's eyes widened in shock at the fury in Ichigo's voice. Where others saw his rage, Ruby could see betrayal and confusion in his brown eyes that made her sick to her stomach.

 _"Ichigo-"_

"WHO ARE YOU!?" Ichigo shouted, "ANSWER ME, OLD MAN!?"

A long silence permeated the mindscape. The fake Zangetsu and Ichigo were locked in a battle of wills. Clouds thundered and blackened the sky to bring down an unforgiving rain. As stoic as the spirit seemed, his sword arm was shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly, the black blade went up in ashes, and the spirit levitated a few paces away. Ruby could see regret and guilt behind his orange visor.

 _"You're right, I did lie to you."_ admitted the spirit. _"I am not Zangetsu, but you're Quincy powers. I manifest to you as part of the soul that reside in all Quincy. I am Juha Bach, and yet at the same time not Juha Bach."_

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!" cried Ichigo, "HAS EVERYTHING YOU'VE TOLD ME BEEN A FARCE?!"

 _"All that I have lied about is my name."_ said Juha Bach, _"But she is right on a level that it was also my pride. I may have taught you the ways of the zanpakuto, but I never wanted you to become a shinigami, especially from a Hollow. But I realize...I've been the fool. I've seen you grow up your entire life and never once has your heart faltered, the will to protect never dwindled. I was proud of you yet I still held back power that would've helped in your goal to protect. I now realize that I am not worthy. Not after what I've done."_

Near the end, his voice lost its stoic manner and was dripping with regret and guilt. Ichigo's fury softened at the sad mood he could feel from Juha Bach. Suddenly, the spirit disappeared into the wind without a whisper of his power to trace.

"Wait." called Ichigo, "Come back. Zan - Old man!"

Ruby felt her heart ache when she saw the look on Ichigo's face. He looked on the verge of tears. His brown eyes dimmed with sadness and regret, and that sure glint of a guardian was just gone. He was broken.

It only got worse when a chuckle turned Ruby's head to Gruby. To her ire, she wasn't crying or silent. No, the Grimm was laughing, and by the signs couldn't hold it in anymore.

 **"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."** laughed Gruby maniacally, creeping out Hichigo even (as if he would ever admit it), **"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAA. What a show, what a show. Encore please. The lie is out, and he bitches out. Good riddance to trash."**

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The scream of anger came from Ruby. Before Gruby could turn back to her hated adversary, a fist instead met her cheek rocketing the Grimm into a building. The smile dropped into a furious scowl as the rubble of the building fell down on her.

"SNAP OUT OF IT, ICHIGO!" Ruby cried, getting Ichigo's surprised attention, "So what if he lied to you and held back your power? Did that stop you? Would you even care? You could still protect everyone. He may have lied to you, but I bet he had a pretty good reason why. Even without your full-power, you still fought Captains, mastered Bankai, and saved Rukia, right?!"

"I..." Ichigo tried to say but the rest of his words were caught in his throat.

"Who cares if your the strongest if at your weakest you can still protect people?" Ruby continued, "Even without more power, you can still protect people. You always have been able to do so and you can still do it."

Ichigo's gaze lowered to the ground. His expression was unreadable as he was in deep thought. Seconds passed until in reply Ichigo firmly grasped the white Zangetsu blade in his gut. His reiatsu poured over it, and he was reunited with his own blade. Hichigo widened his eyes in surprise, but smiled. Not in the sadistic way, but one that showed pride. He didn't move as he plunged the blade into Zangetsu.

The moment the blade impaled Zangetsu, Ichigo felt a rush of energy he never felt before. His blade turned white, but it still felt like his own blade. Zangetsu released himself from his blade, but he was no longer a threat.

 **"Well done, King."** said Zangetsu.

"I hope I can amends, Zangetsu." said Ichigo.

Zangetsu shrugged. **"Meh, water under the bridge. I may be your zanpakuto, but I'm still a Hollow. I won't be taking over your body, but I'll have some fun a different way."**

Zangetsu gave his usual devilish grin. **"For now, let's watch the show."**

"What about my real body out there?" asked Ichigo.

 **"Oh that."** said Zangetsu, pausing for a moment as though in a trance, **"There, I've reigned in control of you, but your girlfriend is going nuts up there."**

Ichigo reluctantly stood on the spot. He was already finished with his fight, and it wasn't his place to interfere for Ruby. Meanwhile, the rubble bursted off of Gruby in an explosion of crimson reiatsu. The pale, red eye doppleganger rose from the dust cloud. She put a hand to her jaw and twisted back in place with a snap. If there was one thing Ruby got from Yang it was a nasty haymaker.

 **"Still got some spunk in you, huh."** Gruby said making a grin that promised pain, **"I'm gonna have to break that."**

Ruby gave no word except narrowed eyes that could kill a mortal. They both vanished and reappeared in the middle their glaives locked steel against steel trying to overpower the other. Where Ruby had scowl (perhaps Ichigo has been rubbing off on her lately), Gruby gave back a sadistic grin. She slid one of her hands to the hole in the grip of the blade and looped a single finger in it. Her grip loosened immensely, but Ruby couldn't capitalize on it fast enough. With a flick of her other hand, the glaive spun like the rotors of a Bullhead. Crimson reiatsu condensed in the spin and blew Ruby away by the sheer multiplying power.

Ruby anchored her glaive into the ground to slow her velocity and panted her feet on the polearm for a steady posture. If only Qrow could see her pull of that move that he did when fighting Tyrian. Hooking a hand on her glaive, Ruby dashed back into action. She parried a powerful overhead and countered with a quick thrust. Gruby titled her head away from the blow, purposefully having it close in until the last inch. Gruby went passed Ruby's guard ready to attack like a beast. Ruby swung her glaive to intercept Gruby's, but she underestimated the force and her feet slid back from the shock.

Simultaneously, the two charged down each other and swung in mirroring directions. Their feet skidded to a halt passes each other. A second passed and a gash on Ruby's side revealed itself by spilling blood. Her footing faltered, but she righted herself by swiveling around to face her doppelganger. In contrast, Gruby was unharmed.

 **"You can't win because you will never fight like the alpha." Gruby berated with an undertone snarl of a wolf, "You can't even touch me."**

Gruby quirked a surprised eyebrow when Ruby made a mocking smirk. Her smile turned into a frown seeing that Ruby was doing the opposite she should be doing.

"You might want to check the little spot." Ruby noted while pointing to the left side of her neck.

Gruby reached a hand at that spot on her neck. On contact, her eyes widened as the only indication she felt a sting of pain. She retracted and examined the hand. Her lips curled in fury at the sight of blood. This human, this weakling, made her bleed.

Her curled lips revealed sharpened fangs, and her fists clenched tightly. The glaive in her other hand creaked under the pressure. An inhuman growl resonated from her throat.

"You say I can't even hit you because I'm human?" said Ruby, "I may not know a lot about you, but I'm starting to find you out. You may claim to fight like an animal, but I'm just starting to see how you move. It's impressive, but not impossible."

Gruby only growled before dashing off in a more pounced stance, Mazarozu hanged to the side for a wide sweep, while Ruby waited for her with a calm aura. A clash of steel rang on impact as Ruby successfully blocked the blow that Gruby expected to be too fast for her to react to. When she tried putting more force into the weapon, the Grimm widened her eyes meeting opposition.

Ruby twisted her glaive perpendicular to her, causing Gruby to stumble forward from her own strength. Gruby snarled in fury, twisting her body out of the way like a wolf. Ruby's glaive hit air but that didn't deter her focus on her doppleganger. She recovered in time to parry Gruby's weapon and countered with a forward kick. The Huntress pressed on with a thrust that Gruby backed away from. The glaive dug into the ground allowing Ruby to expertly swing around to kick both of her feet into Gruby's side. Once Ruby planted her feet flat on the ground, she pointed the end of the glaive with the red flag that charged a red orb at the tip.

 **"Piasusan."**

Ruby unleashed a cero-like blast of red raging toward Gruby. Biting her lip, the Grimm held out a palm and stopped in its path. She gritted her teeth as her feet started to slide from trying to stop the force of energy. She didn't realize Ruby using shunpo to get behind her, already in the midst of casting Kido.

 **"Hado 32: Okasen."**

Gruby turned around in wide eyes just as the yellow arc of energy blinded her vision. The two blasts exploded with the Grimm in between and Ruby used her Semblance and shunpo to get out of the blast zone. Ichigo had to cover his eyes from the blown dust, and most of the buildings around them were destroyed.

Ruby waited in dead silence as the dust settled. A labored heavy breathing drew her eyes to the slight left. Suddenly, she felt a blow so hard, something cracked whether it was her skull or whatever hit her. With her vision shortly gone, Ruby used her hearing to pinpoint Gruby down and swung her glaive to the side as hard as she could. When she met resistance, Ruby swung again and again harder each time and not giving Gruby enough time to get out of the way. On the fifth one, Ruby put most of her spiritual pressure into the blow and felt something shatter on impact with her glaive.

Ruby's vision began to clear. Right in front of her was Gruby. She didn't entirely escape the blast herself with the left side of her face and shoulder bleeding. In her hands were two halves of the glaive she was using. Her entire body was shaking in rage. She was being wounded by this single human that was the source of all her hate. Of everything that has her trapped here.

 **"Why?!"** Gruby snarled.

Ruby's eyes widened when the air became heavy and an oppressive weight pushed down on her. Apprehensively, the Huntress inched away from the Grimm. Her lips parted revealing growing canines in the back of her mouth. Gruby's crimson reiatsu bursted into a geyser reaching to the skies of the mindscape and gained a purple hue to it. The halves of the glaive disintegrated into purple particles in her hands that grew white claws.

 **"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DISAPPEAR?!"** Gruby bellowed.

The reiatsu suddenly hid Gruby away. Ruby, Ichigo, and Zangetsu anchored themselves to prevent being blown away by an enormous pressure that continued to climb.

"It's like a nuke just went off." cried Ichigo, "This never happened in our fight."

Zangetsu explained. **"It's because she is actually fighting to get control. She won't take no for an answer and - oh no."**

* * *

(In the Real World)

The Vizards stood around the barrier in apprehension. It has been fifteen minutes since they left the two Adjuchas ripping each other apart. At some point in their fight, the one of Ichigo seemed more concerned of getting the wolf Adjuchas away from the barrier.

Suddenly, their hearts almost stopped in shock as the wolf Adjuchas coated itself in crimson etched in purple reiatsu. The pressure was so massive that the cracks of the barrier reached to every part. Hachi was forced to use his mask to keep the barrier active, but the spiritual pressure just kept climbing higher and higher without end. They felt their knees buckle and give out from the weight of it. Even the former Captains were having a hard time just standing up.

If it couldn't get worse, Ichigo rose his spiritual pressure in opposition, coating himself in black and red reiatsu. The spiritual pressure doubled and the Vizards were forced to resort to their masks just to prevent themselves from passing out.

The two geysers of reiatsu lifted and the barrier shattered like nothing. The Vizards dared themselves to look up at the pair. Once they did, they knew not even Kami would save them. There were no longer Adjuchas standing there.

(Que Bleach ost "Cometh the Hour")

There were two Vasto Lordes.

The wolf Adjuchas transformed into a humanoid with pitch black skin and purple veins running along her skin. Pitch black eyes with blood red pupils stared coldly out of a wolf mask, lipless to show terrifying canine teeth that could shred flesh apart, and two white ears stood atop the head and two horns curled like a ram's from each side where human ears would be. Some of Ruby's outfit was shredded, revealing her midrift that was also as black with tufts of fur mostly covering her as well along the crook of her neck. Her limbs were toned, tufts of black fur covering her shoulders, arms, antecubital, thigh, legs, and heels. The hands and feet possessed sets of claws instead of human fingers. A Hollow's hole was set between just below her chest almost hidden by the remnants of her clothes and fur. Her red-tipped black hair became spiky and longer. Her red cloak was veined black from the vile reiatsu.

Ichigo looked like the devil incarnate standing at. His skin was white with red tribal markings going decorating his body. His shinigami uniform was torn up that his entire torso was bare and a Hollow hole was visible in the center of his chest. Yellow eyes stared out of a lipless mask with sharp teeth, and two jagged white horns crowned the top of his mask pointing forward. His fingers were bone white with sharp claws sharper than daggers. His orange hair was longer, and they were tufts of orange fur on his wrists.

The spiritual pressure they produced was absolutely god-like. The Vizards knew they were just ants before them. They couldn't let out a single word.

* * *

(Kisuke's Shop)

Ren, Senna, and Kisuke were going over some Kido practices when massive spiritual pressure flooded all of Karakura Town. The look in Kisuke's darkened in shock, and Senna and Ren were paralyzed on the spot with wide eyes. On instinct, their heads swiveled in the direction of the spiritual pressure.

"Okay, I'm not good at sensing but I can feel that." said Senna, "What is happening?"

"We," announced Kisuke, "are ######."

Ren didn't say anything, but he just knew that in the origin of the spiritual pressure was Ruby. Without a second thought, Ren disappeared in shunpo with Senna close behind him.

Ruby was in troube, and it was the obligation to help the team leader.

* * *

(Soul Society)

"Emergency! Emergency!" cried a member of Squad 12 barging into the barracks of Squad 1. Most of the captains were present, excluding Soi Fon and Mayuri. All the captains present set their eyes on the visibly shaking and sweating Squad 12 member with a pamphlet of sensor recordings.

"What is the reason for this interruption?" Yammamoto demanded.

"Yammamoto-sotaicho." said the Squad 12 member, "We've detected two massive Hollow signatures. Easily Vasto Lorde. And-"

The member choked on his own terror, the pamphlet shaking in his hands.

"Abandon your reluctance and inform me what ails you." Yammamoto demanded, banging his cane on the wooden floor.

"The spiritual pressures of the Vasto Lorde we detected." said the member, "They rival your own."

For the first time in a thousand years, Yammamoto's eyes widened to their peak in shock. Shunsui dropped a bottle of sake, Ukitake stopped coughing in the middle of one of his episodes, and Unohanna looked visibly uneasy. A crack turned all heads to Kenpachi, who made a smile so big his jaw stuck in that smile.

"Someone get Kenpachi to Squad 4." said Yammamoto. He was seriously getting too old for this crap.

* * *

 **Gruby certainly threw crap into the fan. Consider this chapter and the following my gifts for the end of the year.**

 **Up next is Chapter 27: Existence Vol. 2**

 **Stay in touch. Leave a review. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	27. Existence Vol 2

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 27: Existence Vol. 2**

 **(Que Bleach ost "Cometh the Hour")**

The wolf Vasto Lorde let out howl that froze the Vizards blood. Her very voice crumbled whatever rocks lay about, making the basement a definite flat expanse. The earth cracked under her clawed feet. She stopped, pebbles dropping around her, and she turned her gaze to the Vizards with a predator's gaze. The mindless Vasto Lorde of Ruby pounced upon Hachi as her first victim. But her glaive met black steel in the form of Tensa Zangetsu. Red eyes glared into golden ones with equal ferocity.

The opposing spiritual pressures of the two Vasto Lordes built a storm of wind pressure that pushed the Vizards away. When the two simply broke the lock, the subtle swings of their weapons ripped through the ground to create deep crevices. Their weapons met and parted again with the crack of thunder. With each impact and parting, they sent an earthquake through all of Karakura Town. The Vizards were no different than the pebbles being blown away from the shock of the power. Some even passed out from the spiritual pressure alone. Neither Ichigo or Ruby could gain an edge, no matter how ferocious or brutal they attacked.

This wasn't some battle between shinigami, Quincy, or even Hollows. This was a catastrophe far beyond the likes any mortal has ever felt or seen.

* * *

(Inner World)

"Zangetsu," Ichigo demanded as he could feel his arms shake as though he was attacking and parrying with a blade, "what the hell is happening out there?"

One moment, Ruby seemed to get an edge in her fight against Gruby. All of a sudden, the Grimm got some power boost and the Huntress found herself on the receiving end of a very angry Gruby. Without the glaive proved to in fact increase Gruby's battle prowess. Ruby was no longer fighting a doppleganger but a true alpha predator out for blood. Gruby fought on all fours, leaping and jumping with incredible speed and agility of a true hunter of the wilds. Black fluid dripped like poison from her canines and claws, and there was a bloodthirsty look in her eyes, highlighted by the black and red hue.

A blur of black and red, and Ruby found her left eye blinded in red. Pain stung badly on the side of her temple and a trail of blood ran down from three slash marks. Her head felt a little dizzy from the blood loss and trauma, but Ruby bit it away.

 **"Don't get worked up,"** said Zangetsu, a bit sheepish to answer, **"but your girlfriend just broke the barrier and is trying to destroy everything in sight. It's taking all I have to hold her back."**

Ruby was met with a clawed hand grabbing her face and tossing her through the asphalt and a few buildings where she eventually landed right by Zangetsu and Ichigo. Her clothes were torn revealing scratches on the skin, and a bit of her bra (Ichigo turned away with a blush). Her red cloak was in tatters like it went through a war zone, which is pretty accurate.

"Dammit, I'm not just going to stand here." Ichigo growled, ready to charge after Gruby.

"Don't." Ruby barked, getting to her feet with the help of her glaive. "This is my fight."

 **"Cero."**

A purple cero fired in their direction. Ichigo stiffened in a stance ready to block it, but Ruby dashed in between and held it back instead. Ruby looked as though she would lose the contest in power until her glaive glowed in silver reiatsu and she split in two with a cry. On the other side, Gruby stood with a curled lips snarling in rage.

 **"Just die."** snarled Gruby, **"Just die so I can have my own existence."**

Ichigo was going to voice his protest, but was caught off by a glare Ruby gave him for a split-second before she dashed to meet Gruby halfway. As sparks flew from claws and blades, Ichigo turned to Zangetsu who had a focused expression on his face. Alarms went off in Ichigo's head when Zangetsu widened his golden eyes.

 **"Uh oh."**

"'Uh oh'?" Ichigo repeated, "What do you mean 'uh oh'?"

 **"Queenie is going to fire a cero."** said Zangetsu, **"Not like the one in here. This one is huge. I could cancel it with my own, but that would level your town in a crater. You are not going to like what I am going to have to do."**

Ichigo widened his eyes as the prospect of his hometown leveled in a smoldering crater. Whatever was going on up there, he doubted the Vizards could even touch them. He gave a look to Zangetsu that told him that he had his complete trust.

* * *

(Real World)

True to Zangetsu's word, Ruby was charging a purple cero between the ram horns. It looked like a regular sized cero being charged, but the amount of power packed into it could easily flatten a mountain range. Zangetsu in control of the white Vasto Lorde knew if he clashed with his own cero, the resulting clash would level most of his wielder's home in a crater of ashes.

Using sonido, the white Vasto Lorde flanked behind the wolf Vasto Lorde and locked her in place with one arm wrapped underneath her arms. With his other free arm, Zangetsu opened a Garganta. Normally, the Garganta would open a portal instantly to either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society, but Zangetsu had no real destination since he was too focused handling Ruby. It was already hard enough just to keep her in his grasp as Ruby thrashed and clawed to get free. With one final heave, the two Vasto Lordes disappeared into the Garganta.

Ren and Senna immediately arrived a second later, and were treated with the sight of all of the Vizards lying on the ground. Ren went to the most awake, which was Shinji who had his mask currently chipping away by the second.

"Where did they go?" Ren asked.

"Through...the Garganta." mumbled Shinji, losing consciousness.

Senna glanced to the Garganta and hardened her gaze. She suddenly grabbed Ren's arm and hoisted him up.

"C'mon, let's go after them." Senna called.

"Wait!" Shinji choked out, but his warning went on deaf words.

Not even Ren could stop Senna using a short shunpo to get to the Garganta and pull herself and the Huntsman into the portal before it closed. That was all Shinji saw before his vision went black.

* * *

(Dangai)

Without proper thought of a destination, the white Vasto Lorde hurled himself and Ruby into the Dangai. Their massive spiritual pressure made the fissures of the dimension part for their way into a flat expanse. They were soon joined by Senna and Ren, in horror and shock at the two practical monsters waging war against each other. The power alone they exhaust was ripping tears in the Dangai to other dimensions.

Ren and Senna couldn't get a word out due to multiple things. One, 'Ruby' was charging a purple cero between the curled horns and mouth. Secondly, 'Ichigo' sonidoed in front of the pair with his back turned. Thirdly, he was also charging a cero between his jagged horns, red in color.

Once Ren caught on the inevitable, his eyes widened like dinner plates. He focused all of his spiritual energy into one spell that he trusted with his life.

 **"BAKUDOU 81: DANKU."**

The two ceros fired with the shock akin to thunder and roared like plasma. The Dangai fissures etched away for miles from the two powers that let out their inner destructive capabilities. Red and purple reiatsu surged towards each other with intent of overcoming the other. Upon impact, all that Ren and Senna knew was a flash of white light blinding their vision.

* * *

(Unknown)

Team SIRR no longer found themselves in the Dangai. The first sense that came to the non-Hollowfied shinigami was cold. Snow was falling in a storm around them and cushioned them on the ground. Ren and Senna got up from a laid down position, a bit groggy coming out from the clash of the massive spiritual pressures. Speaking of...

Ren grabbed Senna and covered themselves with a Bakudou shield when a flood of blown snow and ice threatened to bury them. The spell withstood the elements, melting the snow from the reiatsu. Senna and Ren turned back to the source where Ichigo and Ruby, possessed by their demons, continued their battle despite the scenery change.

Realizing not even himself could stop the two Vasto Lordes, Ren grabbed a hold of Senna once again, despite her protests, and shunpoed a great distance. Another question lay in Ren's mind in to where the heck they were.

The two Vasto Lordes were not even winded from firing the ultra-powerful cero. Ichigo parried back a flanking overhead, and the force went out devastating the landscape in an earthquake to the left side. The white Vasto Lorde landed a punch to Ruby's mask. It didn't even crack, but it got a snarl from the wolf Vasto Lorde. She blurred away in her speed and Ichigo staggered from a slash wound on his right pectoral, followed by the glaive slicing a shallow cut across his back. Ichigo let out a hiss before blocking claws inches from his mask with Tensa Zangetsu. Pushing it back caused the ground to give out in a crater of massive proportions.

'Ruby' howled a war cry of a demonic wolf, and 'Ichigo' retorted with a great roar of a dragon that sent shivers all the way to hell. Neither side was losing the will to fight despite how even in combat they were.

Ruby snarled and quickly charged another cero. Ichigo reciprocated by charging his own in opposition. However, Zangetsu in control was caught off guard when the wolf Vasto Lorde used sonido to get right in front of him and fired. The devil Vasto Lorde quickly canceled his cero, and used both hands to hold back the cero and throw it into a different direction.

Ren followed the path of the purple cero. At the end he saw a mountain with a train track. Unfortunately, there was already a train running on that track. It really wasn't a good day for that train since it was already being besieged by these black and white creatures.

Shock and pure joy flooded Ren's system. His knees gave out and sunk into the snow. Senna could only watch in morbid confusion at Ren's episode.

Black and white creatures. Those were Grimm! As wrong as it was to feel joy at a train beong attacked by Grimm he couldn't help it. Finally, they were back in Remnant.

"We're home..." Ren mumbled.

"Please snap out of it, Ren-san." said Senna, "You are freaking me out."

If Ren squinted, he could see familiar faces fighting off the horde.

* * *

(On the train)

Yang Xiao Long, the first thing you could say about her was wild, carefree, and charming to a certain extreme. A bombshell to the common eyes of men, and a golden haired, red eye nightmare to those who dared to trek too far. Strike her with lightning or tear off her limbs and she will bounce back like nothing happen and stronger than ever. Just like her Semblance.

But that night when Ren and Ruby...were gone. They were gone, only leaving singed pieces of their weapons left to remember them. For the first time in her life, Yang felt something break, and it was permanent. There was a piece that went with Ruby that she could no longer get back. Yang couldn't smile casually, either in public or among friends. In private, she unconsciously emptied her eyes of her tears.

After burying what was left, they stayed in Mistral for weeks in mourning. Yang felt herself falling in an endless pit, and neither she nor Qrow had the bravery to text Tai about the tragedy. One day, Yang had enough. She took charge of the gang to set out what Ruby would've wanted them to do: finish the mission.

When they boarded the train, they immediately dispatched to save the civilians when Grimm attacked. They managed to hold off the first wave, but their troubles wouldn't end with the Grimm unless they got the people attracting them away. Jaune made a plan where he and Nora would detach the leading rail car with all of the passengers while the others fended for themselves against the Grimm.

It worked better than they expected. Less Grimm came and were easily dispatched, and none of them were fast enough to catch the leading car. Everything looked fine for them. If only Ruby and Ren were here with them.

A brilliant purple glow caught the party's attention to the horizon to the right. All Yang saw in that moment was what could only be described as a giant purple laser easily dwarfing any kind of weaponry Atlas could ever make. It not only destroyed the tracks in front of them, but also the entire top of the mountain. Snow blinded her vision as the train derailed down the mountain.

* * *

(On the ground)

As Yang's vision came back, she felt the cold embrace of snow all over her body. She pushed off her body and surveyed around for the Relic of Knowledge and her friends. The blonde let out a sigh of relief finding Weiss, Qrow, Blake, the Relic, and Ozpin/Oscar fine, though they did bring along an extra in the form of a very short old lady. And thank Monty, the God of Creation, that her motorcycle was okay.

Suddenly, something crashed into their area, with Yang the closest to the new arrival. A pressure unlike any she had ever felt pushed down on their shoulders like boulders trying to weigh them down in water. Yet, her fear couldn't stop her head swiveling back to look at the menace behind her. Her lilac eyes stared in fear into blood red eyes the most powerful she had ever seen. Yang stumbled back a few steps to make out the figure as the smallest, yet the most terrifying wolf Grimm. It stood on two legs to reach a height that reached to Yang's nose, had a hole right through it just below a chest that strangely had an endowed figure, and a awfully familiar red cloak with black veins draped on its back. The most strange thing was that it was holding a weapon in the form of a blue and silver glaive.

It snarled, and its breath stung on Yang's neck with a bitter cold. Everyone else was also frozen on the spot, their eyes wide with fear. Even Ozpin who gained control to find the Relic was shaking on the spot. Never in his countless reincarnations did he ever see something of this caliber. It reminded him too much of the God of Destruction himself, especially with those horns. A purple orb formed at the wolf Grimm's mouth and grew in size.

A buzz of sound followed the arrival of another bipedal monster. This one came out as the literal devil in white skin and red tribal markings and wielded a pitch black daito. It slashed at the wolf Vasto Lorde and pushed it back. It stood in front of Yang until it glanced back to which the blonde jumped back in fright.

Then, to every Remnantie present, it spoke in a hissed voice. **"Not be...afraid...your side...get away..."**

It spoke! The freaking Grimm or whatever the hell that thing was spoke! And it was looking out for them. What the hell did Remnant become since Ruby died?! What's next, will the dead come back with powers from a different dimension?!

A purple cero formed between the wolf Vasto Lorde's horns and took aim at the Hunstmen and Huntresses.

 **"Bring them to the Twilight, Mirokumaru."**

A tornado carrying autumn leaves and yellow lightning blew into the wolf Vasto Lorde and sent her slipping a few yards away. With a snarl, she spun the glaive with reiatsu and released it into a wordless Haitososa. A girl with purple, spiky hair and honey maple eyes wearing a shihaksho jumped in its path. She wielded a khakkhara that she used to block the blast and cancel it out, but it left her winded.

Another arrived and when they saw who it was, they nearly passed out. The long black hair, the green outfit, and the single strand of purple hair. Standing before them was Lie Ren, not as a pile of ash but in proper flesh and blood wielding two green bayonets with longer-than-average blades. Seconds of silence, except of the fighting between the Vasto Lordes, permeated the air between the reunited Remnanties. It was Weiss who spoke up.

"Is that...really you, Ren?" muttered Weiss.

"It's good to be back." Ren simply replied, "Really good to see you all again."

Suddenly, all that crippling fear vanished from Yang as one question rose to her mind.

"Is Ruby...alive too?" Yang asked/pleaded. If Ren was back, that would mean Ruby was too, right? She had the right to hope so, right?!

Bless the gods of Remnant yet again, Ren gave Yang a genuine smile.

"She is fine." Ren answered, causing Yang to smile with tears of joy, "She'll be so happy to see you."

"Where is she?!" Yang exclaimed, desperate for more about her sister now confirmed to not be dead.

To her ire, Ren's smile fell and his eyes had a sheepish look to them. He lifted one of his bayonets and pointed it to the fighting Vasto Lordes, specifically the wolf.

"Ruby's over there." Ren said, "We're just...having a problem."

Senna chuckled. "In a way, this is an extreme version of a lovers' quarrel with Ichigo and Ruby."

Ren gave the maple-eyed girl a look that read 'are you seriously doing this right now'. Suddenly, Ren and Senna were lifted off their feet and color left their faces when they stared back at red eyes at a very livid Yang.

"YOU BETTER EXPLAIN, NINJA BOY, BEFORE YOU ARE DEAD AGAIN!" Yang roared, shaking the two shinigami, "HOW THE #### ARE YOU BACK FROM THE DEAD?! WHO THE HELL IS SHE?! WHO THE HELL IS ICHIGO?! WHY AND HOW IS THERE A MONSTER THAT IS SEEMINGLY ON OUR SIDE FIGHTING MY BABY SISTER WHO HAS SOMEHOW TURNED INTO A ####### WOLF DEMON THAT I CAN'T HELP BUT BLAME YOU FOR?! AND WHAT THE #### DO YOU MEAN BY A LOVERS' QUARREL?! ANSWER ME NOW OR I WILL DO SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE OUM THE DESTROYER TIMID!"

Ren was silent, only out of fear of Yang's burning fury being cast onto him. However, Senna unfortunately melted, figuratively, and fell into a near jabbering of answers to some of Yang's questions.

Senna spoke in a panic. "We fell through a portal that's how we're here. Ichigo is actually the other 'monster', and is actually Ruby's boyfriend which is why I made that joke of a lovers' quarrel. Ruby is like that because she is trying to conquer her inner Hollow, but something went wrong. That's all I know, so please don't hurt me."

"On that note," Ren added, as black, red, and purple reiatsu turned into a maelstorm above their heads as the two Vasto Lordes continued their battle with more ferocity, "we need to get the #### out of here."

Before Yang could protest, Ren put a hand on her arm and transported them away with shunpo. Ren repeated with the other Remnanties and the Relic in several seconds, just in time to see two ceros explode on impact. The sky was set on fire by the reiatsu, and the earth suffered under the pressure of unconquerable power.

* * *

 **We're back in Remnant. How is that for a reunion with a Vasto Lorde-sized "Yang"? Yeah, that's right. There will be Yang puns here of the most torturous and cruel in poor design. You have been warned.**

 **Up next is the conclusion to the Vizard Arc and the beginning of the Return to Remnant, Chapter 28: Existence Vol. 3**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**


	28. Existence Vol 3

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 28: Existence Vol. 3**

First thing Yang knew, she was holding Ren and this Senna girl by their throats demanding for answers, then she suddenly was farther away from her sister. Her friends arrived soon after as Ren blinked in and out of sight until he brought back Qrow. After expending so much reiatsu on the spell from the cero blast in the Dangai, it took all he had to get everyone out of safety. Unfortunately, it left Ren vulnerable to an enraged Yang accosting up to him and picking him up by the front of his shirt.

"Take me back there, you son of a bitch!" Yang demanded. Her sister was back and was turned into a monster. The best a sister could do was be there for her, maybe even reach out to her.

"I can't." Ren berated with grit teeth, "Even if I wanted to, you'll end up dead."

"Bullshit!" Yang roared, shaking Ren in her grasp, "You will take me back there or I swear to both Monty and Oum I will-"

BONK!

Yang's eyes lost their red fire as they rolled back to her head. Ren clumsily was set back on his feet while the blonde slumped to the ground unconscious. Behind her was Senna, her staff zanpakuto poised where Yang's head was. Her hands were shaking and she was hyperventilating.

"She's terrifying, alright." Senna excused, "I had to do it."

"It was probably for the best." Blake noted, very shaken by the recent developments that quite literally blew up in her face.

Ozpin nodded in agreement, although he was lost in his own world of thoughts. Weiss was...coping if one could call sitting in a corner with an unblinking eyes rocking back and forth, mumbling, "Of course Ruby would do this." Qrow had an unreadable expression on his face, deciding whether to gulp down the rest of his whiskey or quit drinking all together.

"All we can do is wait...this out." said Ren, "But in the off chance that things go off, I'll need some healing Kido, Senna."

Senna nodded and crouched to Ren's level when he sat down on the ground in exhaustion. A green glow flowed from her hands, and Ren could already feel his reiryoku reserves refilling and his exhaustion diminishing. In the meantime, Ren was praying to Ruby to make it through her ordeal.

* * *

(Inner World)

Ruby was NOT making it through her ordeal, evidenced by the amount of pavement and buildings she was hurled through. She spat mouthfuls of her blood, and she was sure a few ribs were broken. A few thoughts rang through her head, like why can she still feel pain in her head?!

 **"This was never yours."** snarled Gruby, accosting to Ruby, **"This body, this power, this life. It was never yours. It - _is_ \- all - mine!"**

"I," Ruby groaned, coughing a bit as she tried to stand, "don't... understand. What did I... do to you?"

Gruby scowled menacingly revealing her fangs. Even when Ruby stood, Gruby simply stood right in front of her. She could attack the Grimm, but it would never work. Ruby tried to counter, but Gruby latched her clawed fingers around Ruby's throat. Silver eyes of bright innocence stared into red and black eyes burning with an eternal rage.

 **"Do I have to spell it out to you?!"** said Gruby, **"You were born!"**

Gruby kicked Ruby in the chest, sending the Huntress tumbling across the ground like a tumbleweed. Once she anchored herself, Ruby let out wheezy breaths as her broken ribs tightened around her lungs.

 **"You were born and my existence was sacrificed for it."** ranted Gruby, **"I hate you. I've always hated you every single day you drew breath because I didn't get a life while you did."**

Another kick landed on Ruby's jaw, coughing out more blood. Seeing enough of the beating, Ruby willed herself and used shunpo to get behind Gruby and swing her glaive. The Grimm easily deflected it aside with her claws and fired a bala into Ruby's chest. The bullet of reiatsu sent Ruby crashing into another building, and let the rubble trap her down.

"Why?" Ruby said, getting back up sluggishly, "Why do you hate me so much? Who are you?"

Ruby almost jumped like a scared girl when her doppleganger used sonido and stood inches from her face.

 **"Like I'd tell you."** said Gruby, preparing for a finishing blow.

However, her claws met a black blade, and Gruby's red eyes trailed up to narrowed brown orbs of Ichigo Kurosaki. Ruby would've berated him for interfering in something she should be doing, only to realize Ichigo wouldn't listen in the first place. That's just who he is.

"I've had enough of this." stated Ichigo, pushing back Gruby via focusing black reiatsu into his daito.

Suddenly, Gruby used sonido to appeared behind Ichigo's guard. Her hand flattened like a blade and raised over Ichigo's head.

 **"I am not Zangetsu."** said Gruby, **"Bye-bye, loverboy."**

"What..." That was all Ichigo could get out before he was seeminly split in two and shattered away like glass. Gruby smiled sadistically as she heard tears dropping from Ruby's face. Maybe he was dead or he was just in his own inner world. There was no way to tell.

"ICHIGO!" Ruby cried. She tried to hold back sobs and instead focus on the enemy. Her grip on her glaive tightened. Pouring all her reiatsu into the zapakuto, Ruby raised over her head and gave a war cry as she brought down the blinding blade.

... Only for Gruby to catch it by the handle below the blade before impact.

 **"Like I said,"** said Gruby, **"This power is mine."**

The glaive was forced out of Ruby's hands. In Gruby's claws, the colors changed from silver and blue to red and black. Ruby felt her shinigami powers leave her. She couldn't even use Kido or shunpo. All she had left was her Aura and Semblance.

 **"This was never yours."** said Gruby, as she plunged the glaive right through Ruby's chest. She didn't feel pain, but she felt her soul passing into a void. Ruby desperately tried to cling on to something but there was only silence as her senses dwindled.

* * *

(Real World)

'DAMMIT!' Ichigo roared in his head. He was unable to voice his frustrations vocally since Zangetsu was still in control of his body. However, his body was losing stamina now that Gruby cut off the link to his and Ruby's mindscape. He could will himself to stay in this form, but probably lose control, with or without Zangetsu's help. He appeared in sonido where he sensed Ren and Senna were, ignoring the new faces that stared at him in shock as his form chipped away to his real body to a teenager shinigami of orange hair.

"KAMI, DAMMIT!" Ichigo cursed, punching the ground. He could feel his Bankai slowly fading away.

"What happened?" asked Ren.

"That freak in Ruby is different from mine." Ichigo said, "I tried to help, but I was forced out. Pathetic. I'M PATHETIC!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Ichigo-san." said Senna, administering healing Kido to Ichigo, "There's still enough time that she can make it through this on her own, but right now we have our own problems in the form of a rampaging Vasto Lorde. If we don't move, she's going to...going to..."

(Que Bleach ost "Incantation")

As if on cue, Ruby appeared in a buzz of sound before the shinigami, Huntsmen, and Huntresses present. Even in the knowledge the Vasto Lorde was Ruby, they couldn't stop the wave of dread that flooded their senses. Instinct told them no matter what they did, death was all that awaited them. The shinigami fared a bit better from the killing intent, but they knew that they couldn't win. Ichigo could try, but he didn't have the spiritual energy at the moment to call upon his Bankai even.

"Senna." said Ichigo.

"Yeah?" said Senna.

"Please stop getting us killed with your jinxing." Ichigo said.

"Okay." Senna squeaked.

SIR of Team SIRR flared their spiritual pressure to shield the Remnanties, but it was nothing to the terror the Vasto Lorde seemed to emit from her eyes. The claws flexed excitedly at her sides, ready to tear through Aura and shred flesh. A snarling breath steamed out of the mouthpiece of the wolf mask. The buildup of spiritual pressure warned the following of the charging of a cero.

"Ruby..."

The pressure stopped as one voice made itself heard. The party followed Ruby's eyes to a conscious Yang staring with joy and slight shock at her sister alive again. She just couldn't see a monster like the others did, so all she saw in those red eyes was her baby sister.

"My little sister..." Yang mumbled.

No one could stop Yang approaching Ruby. The Vasto Lorde fixed its eyes on the blonde without any emotion. Yang opened her arms as though waiting for an embrace. She didn't stop even as Ruby raised her claws to bisect her.

"You wouldn't hurt me." said Yang, "It's me, Yang. Your big sis. Please come back to your big sis, Ruby."

No one could stop the claw coming down. Yang didn't blink as though she was accepting her fate or something else entirely. Just inches from her face, the left hand caught the right wrist and pulled it back in a struggle. To every soul present, they felt hope when they saw the left eyes of the Vasto Lorde turn silver.

* * *

(Inner World)

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"

She thought didn't how long she was lost in that abyss that belonged to the dead. When Ruby heard Yang's voice, the embrace of the darkness was nothing to her. When Ruby saw her own hand coming down to kill her sister, she denied the fate that was death. She roared in silence in her mind, pushing her will and soul into her possessed and changed body to stop the hand that would kill Yang. Her eyes opened from the abyss, staring daggers into Gruby.

(Que "Red Like Roses Part 1")

"You can haunt me." said Ruby, gripping onto the glaive impaling her and yanking it forward, "You can hurt me. But you will stay - away - from - everyone I love!"

Ruby gritted her teeth as pain shot through her whole body. With one last heave, she removed the glaive from her chest. Her legs felt like lead ready to fall but she kept herself straight to glare at Gruby.

"You try to hurt them and I will end you!" Ruby declared, silver light igniting around her body. The wound in her chest mended itself as Ruby retook her inner world with her will.

Gruby laughed. **"What can you do? I've got your shinigami powers with my Grimm to boot."**

"You should know," said Ruby, extending her hand out, "that before I was a shinigami, I was and still am a Huntress."

Silver light condensed around Ruby's outstretched palm till it made a 7 foot long scythe, red and black in color. The handle was made out of compacted parts of a sniper rifle, complete with trigger, muzzle, scope, and clip. This was Crescent Rose.

"I made this, remember?" said Ruby, going into her usual stance and cocking the sniper round.

 **"Just give up!"**

Ruby's response was to disappear in a storm of rose petals and kick Gruby in the back. The Grimm swiped the glaive behind, only for Ruby to dodge with the recoil of Crescent Rose. To Gruby's fury, there was blood where the bullet hit.

 **"Why are you so damn persistent?!"**

"Because I am Ruby Rose," declared the Huntress, "I won't let myself turn into a monster."

Gruby couldn't even get a clear vision of Ruby. The closest image she could get of her was a red blur running around her with rose petals in her wake. Gruby intercept her with sonido, but Ruby would just dodge out of the way with the recoil of Crescent Rose and dealing a blow on Gruby. She couldn't aim a cero because Ruby wouldn't sit still. At this point, it became a battle of attrition.

 **"What is the point, Ruby?!"** Gruby cried, firing cero after cero to no effect, **"Your Aura reserves won't last long."** Ruby's voice echoed in response. "It is what Uncle Qrow said. As long as it bleeds, all you need is one good hit."

Gruby cackled. **"As if I would let you."**

Gruby failed to notice Ruby's super speeds picking chunks of rubble from the destroyed buildings. Too full of frustration was she that the Grimm failed to realize chunks of rock flying around her following Ruby's air cone.

Her red eyes glanced to the form of Ruby suddenly running toward. Pushing her Semblance to the limit, Ruby turned into a red twister. Gruby simply sidestepped out an attempt to seemingly tackle Ruby.

Only to be pelted by the storm of rubble. Each chunk hit with the force of a freight train and making her stumble back.

 **"You think this will stop me?!"** Gruby exclaimed.

Ruby didn't say anything in response to keep her presence hidden. She ran through the storm of rubble while pushing her Semblance to the limit. Her legs screamed in pain and her vision grew blurry. But once she saw Gruby, Ruby poured all her power, all her will, into one strike.

"IT'S OVER!"

Silver light burned in her eyes meeting rivaling blood eyes for just second, the latter in complete shock. Ruby twisted like a dancer till the blade of Crescent Rose sunk into Gruby. As it imapaled through the other side, silver light shot out to creste a deep crevice in the ground.

 **"No..."** said Gruby, pulling on the blade to no avail, **"I was so close."**

Reiatsu leaked out of the wound. It condensed behind Gruby till the zanpakuto mother, Summer, appeared. She gave an appraising smile to Ruby.

" Good job, Ruby." said Summer, "The nightmare will end once you absorb subjugate her."

(Que Bleach ost "Some things can't be explained")

Ruby nodded and narrowed her eyes on Gruby who was no kneeling. First, Ruby took back her shinigami powers, and in the process Crescent Rose turned into Ruby's zanpakuto in its sealed state. Finally, there was only absorbing her Grimm. She was stopped when Gruby's hand shot up to Ruby's wrist.

What happened next completely stopped Ruby's train of thought of abdorbing the Grimm.

Gruby was - crying! **"Is it too much to ask? Is it really too much - to want a life?!"**

Gruby raised her head, and when Ruby saw her face she lost all resolve to end the Grimm. She was shedding tears, and despite her eyes were so demonic looking the tears were no different than a human's.

Gruby sobbed. **"I just want a life, that's all I want. Why is that such a bad thing? ALL I WANT IS TO LIVE!"**

Ruby swordarm was shaking, unable to pull out Gruby's reiatsu and end her. This wasn't a Grimm before her. A Grimm would never cry.

It begged the question in Ruby's head who was Gruby really.

"Ruby, you can't hesitate." Summer called, "You have to end this now!"

Ruby glanced to her mother. She wasn't looking at Ruby at all, but to Gruby instead. As she looked at the black-clad doppleganger, Ruby could see so much guilt and regret. In those eyes, Ruby could see that Summer knew more than she let on.

Summer gasped when Ruby put both hands on the blade and yanked it free from Gruby, who was still sobbing softly. The zanpakuto mother was going to protest till her own daughter leveled a cold glare toward.

"You know who she is, don't you?" Ruby said coldly.

"I - you don't need to know." said Summer, her voice breaking.

"Stop hiding stuff from me!" Ruby demanded, "Tell me who she is!"

"I-"

"TELL ME!"

Ruby's voice echoed across the mindscape and silenced whatever protest Summer was about to make. She tilted her head down, shame dirtying her face. Summer looked back at Ruby with tears streaming down her face.

"She isn't a Grimm." said Summer, "Her name is Cristina, and in another life... she would've been your sister."

Ruby's eyes shot wide open in shock. Her zanpakuto fell from her shaking hand. A million thoughts stormed in Ruby's head, but the most prominent was how could Gruby - no, Cristina be her sister.

"How?" said Ruby.

"I was the happiest mother in the world." said Summer, the tears picking up pace, "When I learned I was going to have twins, I was so overjoyed. I would often talk to you two about how much I wanted to bake for you, to clothe you, to take you to your first day to school. Not even two months and I was already calling you Ruby and Cristina. But... fate had other plans. I became sick, very sick. When the doctors told me what to do, I wanted to cry and scream to the gods that I can't let them do this to me. I wanted to meet you both so badly, but my sickness wouldn't let me have both of you unless one of you died to make treatment possible. All those promises I made would only be half, but if I didn't do it, I wouldn't have you, Ruby, my little petal. Not even nine months and I already failed one of my children."

Summer's eyes and cheeks became red with sobs and the tears drenched her face. She buried her head in her hands, unable to look at Ruby and Cristina. Ruby didn't know what to feel. Pity for the dilemma of not birthing both children, or anger that Summer would just give up on a life to save another.

"But how is she here in my head?" said Ruby.

This time it was Cristina who answered.

 **"You promised so much, Mom."** Cristina said, **"I wanted everything that you said. I remembered. I wasn't prepared to go. While I was killed off, my soul still persisted and refused to pass on. And you we both know what happens with a soul full of regrets."**

"Hollowfication." Ruby answered.

Cristina continued. **"I wasn't even born yet, so of course there would be complications. I binded to the nearest soul there was, and here we are, Ruby. Every day. Every - damn - day I hated you because you had everything Mother promised while I was stuck in the depths of your soul unable to know what life was. Unable to taste the cookies she wanted to bake me. Unable to see the roses. Unable to smell the air of Patch. Unable to know and be loved."**

Cristina glared at Summer, hatred burning in her red eyes. **"You took _everything_ away from me. Why? Maybe - maybe we would've both made it, but you were too much of a coward to care."**

"..." Summer looked to Ruby, trying to find support from her daughter, "Ruby, I-"

"She was," Ruby interrupted with a sharp tongue, "no, is your daughter, and yet you threw her away. We both could've made it, Mom."

"If that's what you say, then I don't deserve to be your mother." Summer sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"No, wait I-"

It was too late. Summer turned her head away and disappeared deep into the mindscape. Silver reiatsu leaked off of her and entered Ruby, giving her full access to her shinigami powers. Her fists clenched in frustration at her sides.

"AAAHHH!" Ruby screamed, kicking a sizable chunk of the earth. Tears of regret were flowing down her face, but were quickly wiped away.

 **"So what now?"** said Cristina, **"Are you going to finish me off? I'm still a monster."**

"No!" Ruby answered firmly, picking Cristina to her feet, "I want to help you."

Cristina's black eyes widened in disbelief. **"Why? I tried to kill you. I can't be forgiven."**

Suddenly, Cristina was wrapped in the first warm embrace as Ruby, her sister in spirit, hugged her to quell the darkness within her.

"There are so many reasons why." Ruby said, "You were suffering. All you wanted was to live, just like I have. I have no idea how much that pained you, but I'm so sorry for that. I forgive you, Cristina, because you're family. You'll always be family."

For the first time in her lonely existence, the rage was lacking within Cristina replaced by something greater. The alien soul wrapped her arms around the first person to care for her, even after putting Ruby through so much. They were stayed like that in a warm embrace for a few minutes in complete silence.

 **"Thank you... sis."** Cristina mumbled, **"But I am not gonna stop being a sadist. I've lived with it, and I will continue to do so."**

Ruby chuckled. "It would be too boring otherwise."

 **"You are free to use my power."** said Cristina, holding Ruby at arms length, **"You should go. You've got people waiting for you on the outside."**

"I look forward to fighting with you, Cristina." said Ruby as she disappeared in a flash of silver light.

 **"Oh yeah."** said Cristina, **"I probably should've told her that I kinda screwed up with the whole mask thing. Those two are going to freak out."**

* * *

(Real World)

The wolf Vasto Lorde's body cracked like a cocoon till it shattered. Out from that shell stood Ruby in human form, with a wolf mask over her face. The party stood in complete silence. The aura in the air was less violent but it was still there and powerful. Ruby took a deep breath, which was heard as a snarl to the spectators making them all tense. Red eyes opened from the slits of the mask staring back at the group, but most notably the Remnanties.

 **"Holy cr** ap." said Ruby, as the mask shattered, "I am back."

"Is that really you, Ruby?" asked Yang, struggling to keep herself from clamping on her sister like a mother hen.

"Hey, guys." Ruby greeted with a weak smile.

Her sights locked on Ichigo. She dashed in a storm of rose petals towards the orange-head. Every Remnantie except Ren widened their eyes when Ruby pressed her lips onto Ichigo in a kiss, the latter widening his eyes in surprise at the sudden act.

"I thought you died." mumbled Ruby as she snuggled into Ichigo's neck, relishing his protective aura.

"Hey, have more confidence me, okay?" said Ichigo with a smile.

The spectators could only gawk at the sight that Ruby, the all-so innocent girl, kissing a seemingly random teenager. Yang was about to beat the ever living crap out Ichigo for answers and for possibly violating her baby sister's innocence till they noticed something odd about the pair.

Ichigo and Ruby backed up until their eyes were locked on a certain alien part. Where Ruby was staring, there was a long, white tail with a red tip waving behind Ichigo connected just above his tailbone. Ichigo was staring at the odd addition of Ruby suddenly having two fluffy ears caring a strong resemblance to the Vasto Lorde she was earlier.

"Why do you a tail/pair of ears?" they asked in unison.

Ichigo looked to where Ruby was looking at, and vice versa to where Ichigo was staring at. Indeed, when they touched them they couldn't definitely feel them as a part of their body. Complete silence dawned on the entire party. The only one who wasn't slacked jaw was a short and confused old woman with robotic eyes.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

(Que everyone freaking out, including the reader/readers)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

 **You are welcome to scream in the reviews. I hope you are satisfied with the truth of Gruby/Cristina. Ichigo won't have dual wielding, at least not yet. He won't be having a tail back in Earth, only when he is in Remnant or spirit form.**

 **Next is Chapter 29.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	29. Together Again

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 29: Together Again**

After a few minutes of everyone present freaking out that Ichigo had a tail and Ruby had a new pair of wolf ears, it was Senna who regained composure. She focused reiatsu into her throat, a technique she picked up from Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san, and took a deep breath.

"EVERYONE, CHILL THE #### OUT!"

The booming voice of Senna silenced the screams of everyone present, giving much needed silence to the former shinenju. Ichigo and Ruby were at a loss of why they were suddenly Faunas.

"How did this happen!?" screamed the pair.

 _ **'That would be my** **bad.'** _said Cristina.

Ichigo widened his eyes when he suddenly heard Ruby's Inner Hollow.

 _'What the hell are you doing in my head?'_ said Ichigo.

 _'Was that Ichigo's voice?'_ This time it was Ruby's voice.

Ruby and Ichigo exchanged confusing looks to each other. That confirmed that it was definitely a voice from each other and not some trick.

 _'How can I hear your thoughts?'_ they both said in unison, slightly getting a migraine.

Zangetsu answered. ** _'Both of our mindscapes are still connected somewhat. Beats shouting words, but it was annoying already with just Kingy.'_**

 _'Hey!'_ Ichigo shouted at Zangetsu.

 ** _'Onto what I was saying,'_** said Cristina, **'my little plan to kill you all kind of f'd up some things in the process. Technically, you're not Faunas and more similar to Hollows.'**

 _'I guess it's cool.'_ replied Ruby, _'Ah~, me and Zwei can even be more connected.'_

Ichigo sweatdropped in the real world. _'What about me? I'm a bit freaked out that I have a freaking tail. H-How do you even control it?'_

 _'C'mon, it can't be that bad.'_ said Ruby.

Ichigo only gave his signature scowl in response and the mental conversation ended there. A chill ran down his spine when he became the target of a red-eyed Yang. Putting on a 'sweet' smile, she flanked Ichigo from behind and made her presence known by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"So," Yang voiced, sending a cold sweat down Ichigo's neck, "what's going on with you and my baby sister? Are you the reason why she has wolf ears all of a sudden?"

When Ichigo stared into those red eyes, he felt he was going die right there. Ruby saw what her sister was doing and couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger with her attitude to her boyfriend. At least she wasn't flirting with him, then things would've been really bad. Blake noticed that Ruby's new wolf ears were twitching, and she tentatively took a step back knowing what the situation was going to become.

Ichigo panicked. "Nothing weird, I promise."

"But that smooch Ruby gave you says otherwise." said Yang, her hand tightening on his shoulder, "You haven't done anything indecent to her have you?"

"This man is very dead." commented Weiss.

"Ruby doesn't seem to like it." Blake added.

"H-Hell no!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Jeez, what the hell do you take me for? I'd never do something like that to her. We just started dating a few days ago."

"Now," Yang said, clenching robotic hand into a fist and activating the muzzle, "I hear you say words, but I can't seem to trust you. So, for my little Ruby's sake, you will back-"

A hand gripped onto Yang's left arm. The blonde almost gasped to find Ruby, who suddenly moved from her spot earlier without using her Semblance. She was in shock seeing those once innocent silver eyes glaring daggers into Yang.

"Leave Ichigo alone, Yang." Ruby demanded, not willing to back down even to her sister.

"Ruby," Yang berated like a mother, "I don't feel comfortable with you dating guys that I don't know about."

"NO!" Ruby growled, her lips curling back to reveal canines in the back of her jaw, "Leave - him - alone!"

'Oh Kami, help me!' Ichigo prayed.

The remaining of the party started to pace back, either in fear of a beserk Yang or a truly _angry_ Ruby. In her and Ichigo's mindscape, Zangetsu and Cristina were watching the show, wishing for a bowl of popcorn right about now and laughing like maniacs.

"Ruby-"

"BARK!"

The party of Huntsmen, Huntresses, and shinigami blinked once, then twice, then four times.

Did Ruby just bark!?

Blake facepalmed for she knew why Ruby was acting this way toward her love companion. Faunas may be far from being animals as they are prejudiced, but that didn't mean they didn't possess any instincts that exceed humans. In simple terms, Ruby was being protective to someone she cared a lot for. Looking back at those Blake ears, she shivered from memories back from Beacon. Ruby needed to control herself because Blake would go mad being chased by a human-sized Zwei.

Qrow didn't say anything, but threw his whisky bottle. If being sober made Qrow see Ruby with wolf ears barking on top of being back from the dead, he did not want to find out what he would see if he was drunk.

"What the..." Yang muttered, snapping out of her stupor, "Did you just bark?"

Ruby growled and snarled like an actual wolf. "BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK!"

The barks were not some human copy or something from a house pet like Zwei. Yang felt like she was being barked at a big and a very angry wolf of the highest echelon. With each bark, Yang stepped back pace by pace. She kept going till she was with the gang, but Ruby was still growling at her like a human-sized guard dog.

"Ruby, that's enough." Ichigo said, unconsciously wrapping his tail around Ruby's waist.

Ruby was reluctant to stop, but she dropped the glare and growling for Ichigo's sake. She looked to her friends, who still were having disbelieving looks even from Yang. She took a few steps and was soon facing her old team.

"Is it really you, Ruby?" Weiss asked, trying to hold in crying.

"Of course it is." said Ruby, but the looks from Blake and Weiss didn't drop, "It really is me."

"But - you died." said Blake, "We saw you turn into ash."

Ruby sighed. "How can I prove it's me?"

"What's your favorite food?" Weiss questioned.

"Stawberres." Ruby answered immediately. Ichigo went a little red from that fact via the second translation of his name.

"What is the name for a coordinated attack with you and Yang?" Blake questioned.

"Flower Power." said Ruby.

"What teacher from Signal built Crescent Rose?" Yang asked, but she was confident Ruby knew the answer.

Ruby smiled. "No one from Signal did. I built my beautiful baby with my own blood, sweat, and tears."

Weiss and Blake's jaws fell and their arms went limp at their sides. Tears of joy were flowing down their cheeks.

"It really is you..." mumbled Weiss.

"Holy crap." commented Qrow.

Ozpin was at a loss. No one could just come back from the dead. Granted, he was brought back by the God of Life, but he was sure they would never interfere in mortal affairs again. And if so, why Ruby then? The old soul could also note there was something extremely powerful dwelling just beneath the surface, especially from that thing from earlier and that sword she was holding.

"Uh, guys..." Ruby said sheepishly.

"RUBY!"

Ruby was tackled to the ground by all three of her teammates. She tried to pry herself free but stopped when she saw WBY of Team RWBY crying their eyes out. Their arms wrapped around Ruby, unwilling to let her go again. The Huntress/Grimm/shinigami hybrid smiled kindly and returned the embrace as best she could. Senna and Ichigo looked out of place as Ozpin and Qrow gathered around them, the former putting a hand on his neice's back to comfort her.

"My Ruby," sobbed Yang, caressing her sister's cheek, "Our Ruby is back."

''Hey Ren, you made it back too', Why thank you guys.' Ren mocked in his head, hiding his annoyance with a blank expression.

"That's right, and I'm back better than ever." Ruby said with a cheer.

"Damn Ruby, you are going to give me heart attack before the alcohol kills me." said Qrow.

"As much as I would hate this reunion," voiced Ozpin, "we still need to get the Relic to Atlas."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at Oscar then looked to her friends and family. "You guys still haven't gotten to Atlas yet?"

Everyone except Ichigo, Ren, and Senna looked sheepish at Ruby's question. The old lady, Maria, made her presence known when she felt the chillwinds blowing again.

"I believe I am out of the loop, but did you say this girl died?" Maria inquired.

"Not even a body left." Ruby said with a nervous chuckle, "Not sure if I'm still dead or alive. Maybe neither."

"Sis, what happened to you?" asked Yang. The rest perked up, wondering if Ruby could tell them tales of the afterlife or something place else entirely.

Ruby looked to Ozpin, who nodded in approval. She gestured everyone to sit down, with Team SIRR sitting at her sides and WBY sitting in front of her.

"Be prepared for a very long story of a crazy adventure." Ruby announced.

* * *

(A long story-telling later...)

"Woah." Yang was the only one to voice her reaction of Ruby's tale becoming a shinigami, storming a place called Soul Society, and fighting people of near godly might while gaining those very same powers. Everyone else was just speechless.

"Ruby, you're... I don't even know what to say." said Yang.

"So there is an afterlife, but it just sucks." said Qrow, drinking from his emergency flask.

"It's not the realm that our gods made." said Ren, "In their dimension, their god is called Kami."

"And this Kami runs the afterlife called 'Soul Society'," said Ozpin, "which is protected by shinigami that in our terms are called 'death gods' in an organization called the Gotei 13, right?"

Ruby nodded. "Crazy, I know, but that's what Ren and I went through. After that, I was hanging with in Ichigo's home for a month. I, well, kind of asked him on a date and we're together now."

"Much to Goat-chin's amusement." Ichigo grumbled.

"And this world has its own version of Grimm called Hollows," said Weiss, "that are somehow worse because people can't see them?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, and that's what me and Ichigo turned into when we, uh, he-he, derailed you. Sorry about that. Apparently, it's because we are hybrids."

"I'm afraid to ask but," said Blake, "how strong are you?"

"We did just obliterate a mountain." said Ichigo.

Ruby paused for a moment to measure the spiritual pressures of her friends and family. The most prominent out of all of them was Qrow, who could take on a lieutenant at most. The others would rank as seated officers but not very far. One-on-one with Senna, they would lose. All of them against Ruby, Ren, or Ichigo, well...

Ruby shook her head. "I'm sorry to say but Qrow stands above all of you, but at best he ranks as a lieutenant in the Gotei 13. Except Senna, we rank as above captains. You all wouldn't stand a chance."

Weiss, Blake, Qrow, Maria, and Ozpin widened their eyes in disbelief. It was hard to see a lie in Ruby's eyes. They couldn't believe Ruby Rose, the youngest and the most innocent of them, could stand above them like they were dust if Ruby's comparison between lieutenants and captains.

Yang smirked. "That's a bold claim to make sis. Care to prove it?"

"As entertaining as that would be to assess Ruby new power," said Ozpin, rising up, "it is best if we get a move on now."

"Don't worry, Yang." said Ruby, leveling a wolfish grin to the blonde, "We'll have our fight later. After all, you did threaten my boyfriend."

Yang replied. "You're all 'bark', but do you have bite?"

Everyone groaned at Yang's so-called comedy gold that are her dreaded puns.

The party disbanded to get back on the trail. Ruby spotted the Relic and grabbed it and the rest of Team SIRR looked at the destroyed landscape that Ichigo and Ruby caused for supplies. From the train, Ichigo and Ruby managed to find new tops since their transformation destroyed Ichigo's shirt and almost ruined Ruby's modesty. Now replacing the top of their shihaksho was a black and white sweater for Ichigo and a deep crimson fur coat for Ruby. With the threat of total annihilation gone, Yang started to see the dilemma they were in. Nearby, Yang found her precious motorcycle that was unfortunately stuck in the snow.

"This is the worst!" Yang exclaimed, yanking her motorcycle out of the snow, "We're stranded. We lost a third of our party, and we gained a defenseless old lady."

"My name is Maria Calavera." the old lady berated Yang, "And I am not a defenseless old lady. I'm just hard of hearing, and blind without my eyes."

'Ok, robotic eyes.' thought Ichigo, 'Apparently, I haven't started to see everything.'

"Yang, knock it off." said Qrow, "If we lose our cool now, we'll be attracting more Grimm."

"I say bring it on." Senna boasted, "Me, Ren, Ichigo, and Ruby can take on anything that comes our way."

Qrow glanced to Senna. "You seem a bit too cocky to face a horde of Grimm, eh..."

"The name's Senna." said Senna, "We're shinigami. We can take on anything."

"Easy there, we don't need to get out of frying pan and into the fire." said Ruby.

"Senna has a point." noted Ren, "We can face a horde of hundreds like we did in the Valley of Screams. But Ruby is right, we can't get ahead of ourselves."

Senna pouted. "You guys only say that because I'm the weakest."

"Don't worry." consoled Ruby, "You will get better."

"Does it matter if you can destroy entire armies?" said Blake, "Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm since Haven."

Ruby arched a brow in confusion. "How is that possible?"

"The Relic can attract Grimm." said Yang, leveling a glare at Ozpin, "A fact Ozpin chose to not tell us until the incident with the train. What happened to no more lies and half-truths?"

" _What_ _?"_ Ruby exclaimed coldly, giving a shinigami-signature glare to Ozpin.

"Yeah." Oscar agreed, "I think it's about time we got some answers."

Oscar stiffened for a moment before Ozpin took control. The indication he did so was the yellow glow in his eyes and the dramatic change in Oscar's demeanor.

Qrow noticed Senna and Ichigo's lack of reaction to the change in personalities.

"You seem to be taking this well." Qrow noted.

Ichigo scoffed. "This isn't even close to the weirdest crap I've seen."

"I did not lie to you." said Ozpin.

"You certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic." said Weiss.

"Please, this is not the time." replied Ozpin, desperately trying to calm down the situation.

"Really?" said Ruby with a chuckle on the border of snarling and her wolf ears twitching, "I didn't come back for such lame excuses. We are not moving from this spot until you come clean with us."

"Ruby, I know you are more-"

"I think you're making a mistake thinking you're any position to hold me down when you feel like it." Ruby retorted, flaring a bit of her spiritual pressure laced with Cristina's. The Remnanties and even Senna backed away from the show of power that seemed to make the snow stop falling for a brief moment.

'Well done, sis.' thought Yang, flowing with a sense of pride for her little sister putting her foot down.

Ozpin sighed. "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I felt telling you would only more anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."

"I object to that." said Ruby, "I'd face all the Grimm with a smile on my face as long as it isn't Kenpachi."

Everyone shivered at the mention of the battle-crazy man that, according to Ruby from her retelling of her adventures, could slice down towers with a single stroke. And could also shrug off injuries like impalation and keep going wild with a laugh.

Anything other than Kenpachi they will gladly leap towards to.

"Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" Yang scolded.

"Exactly." Ozpin firmly said, "As a matter of fact, I believed the kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

"Oh, you call betraying his entire people 'missteps'?" Yang exclaimed.

"I fail to see, Ozpin," added Ren with a narrowed eyes, "how all this lying will work to the betterment."

"In hindsight," said Ichigo, "I wouldn't blame this guy for turning your back to you with all the lies you've been keeping."

"What Lionheart did was reprehensible." Ozpin excused, "I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse of judgement truly negate all the good he had done?"

"You call betrayal a 'lapse' of judgement?!" Ruby exclaimed.

Ozpin ignored Ruby. "You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you didn't meet the man he was before Salem found him."

"We're supposed to be together in this." Yang said, "You can trust us. We are not going to turn our backs on you."

"Do you think Leo wasn't the first?!" Ozpin exclaimed, permeating a silence in the air, "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry but you have to understand my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things I do. The secrets I keep. The reason I..."

In two short shunpos, Ruby disappeared and reappeared back in her spot with the lamp in her hand. Shocked eyes turned to Ruby holding the lamp with a frown toward Ozpin.

"Ruby, hand it over." Ozpin demanded.

"Uhm... no!" Ruby firmly denied, "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?"

Ozpin sighed. "That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item, and I feel it is my burden to bear."

"A burden!?" Ruby exclaimed, "This thing can't do anything so why do you want it so badly?! I am so sick and tired of these excuses, Ozpin!"

Ozpin took a step towards Ruby. "I need you to-"

He stopped abruptly with his arm extended in front of him. A golden glow surrounded him and Oscar was put into control, although barely.

"Hurry." said Oscar, "He's... trying to stop you. He's afraid... that you'll... find out... what he's hiding."

The strain to keep Ozpin suppressed made Oscar fall on all fours, panting heavily. Ichigo and Senna fingered the hilts of their zanpakuto as they sensed the tension growing in the air.

"Her name is Jinn." Oscar muttered, "Say her name to summon her."

"Her name?" Ruby said, eyeing the lamp in her hands that was giving a soft, blue glow. "Jinn."

Suddenly, time stopped for the party. The falling snow stuck in place and the howling wind silenced. The lamp floated out of Ruby's hands and produced a blue mist. From the cloud of mist, a large, feminine figure took shape till there were all staring at a giant, blue woman with chains around her hips, wrists, and ankles. She gave a moan as the entity stretched her legs.

Meanwhile, Cristina and Zangetsu were screaming and laughing as they teased their hosts about the entity's lack of clothing. They both became beat red.

"Wonderful." spoke the entity that they all assumed was Jinn, "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"

"By Kami." Senna swore, "A real, freaking genie. Wonder what-"

"PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!" screamed the rest of Team SIRR.

Jinn pouted. "Party poopers."

* * *

 **How is that for the first chapter of 2019? Literally posted this after the Crystal Ball in Times Square dropped.**

 **After the events that Ren and Ruby went through, it made sense in my head to make Ruby a bit OOC than how she was in the original. I'll probably skip the whole backstory they wish from Jinn.**

 **Next is Chapter 30.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review. I love you all!**


	30. Buried Secrets of A So-Called Hero

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 30: Buried Secrets of A So-Called Hero**

"It's a another goddamn Yoruichi." grumbled Ichigo as Jinn made some clothing to cover her modesty.

"My god, one already was enough!" Ruby agreed with a painful groan.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like this Yoruichi is a handful."

Ichigo and Ruby glanced at Yang then at each other and repeated for a few times. Fear riddled their faces at the prospect of Yang meeting Yoruichi. Combined bad puns with the eccentric Yoruichi, both not afraid to show off...

All hell would break loose.

"Ichigo, let's vow never to get my sister to meet Yoruichi." Ruby proposed.

"Agreed." Ichigo sided instantly. Ren nodded with vigor.

A flare of Jinn's presence brought their attention back to the genie of knowledge.

"I am Jinn." she greeted, "A being created by the God of Life to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been blessed with the gift to answer any three questions every 100 years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Ozpin, permeating a silence.

Jinn just stared blankly at the prone Ozpin reincarnation. Ichigo and Senna were giving suspicious looks to him, while the Huntresses were glaring daggers at Ozpin, Ruby being the most notable. Qrow and Maria just looked confused.

"-two questions this era." concluded Jinn.

Ruby took a deep breath as she stared at Ozpin to calm herself. The rest of her friends couldn't see it, but she was getting a little bit agitated by Ozpin and his crap. Her anger subsequently would become quite unfortunate if she didn't calm down and let Cristina out to have a few words. They have a mutual bond now, but Ruby still doubted the spirit of her Grimm sister would be any less brutal than before.

"No more half-truths and lies!?" Ruby exclaimed, her spiritual pressure rising a bit that it made Jinn wince at the foreign energy, "You certainly are doing such a _good_ job with that. Instead of half-truths, we don't get any truth at all!"

"She's a feisty one." Jinn said, "It's a pleasure to see you, old man."

"Ruby, please-"

"Don't 'Ruby, please' me, Ozpin!" Ruby spat, raising her spiritual pressure by accident to the point that WBY could feel the weight of it, "It was one goddamn question that we asked about the Relic back in Haven. Instead of telling us that it had two more wishes, you flat out lied that it couldn't! What the hell is wrong with telling us the truth about that!?"

"Don't do it." Ozpin pleaded. No, he was begging!

This man that used to be known as the greatest Headmaster and Huntsmen in all of Remnant was begging to her. Just to keep a lie alive. Her teeth gritted in fury of this sudden weakness, showing her new canines. Qrow tried to approach, but her spiritual pressure stopped him from moving. Ren and Senna were forced to use their own to shield everyone from Ruby (Ichigo would make things worse with his novice control). Unfortunately, it couldn't do anything for Ozpin was sinking in snow right now from a level of spiritual pressure that bordered on a captain-class.

Ozpin forced his chin to rise to look up to plead to Ruby, only to freeze what he saw. Her right eye was pitch black, and her pupil was halfway crimson and silver. It almost felt like he was staring right at Salem all those years ago he was first killed. No, it was more he was staring at a true Grimm.

Ruby reigned in her Grimm powers with another deep breath and looked back to the genie.

"Jinn," Ruby ordered, "I would like to know what Ozpin is hiding from us."

Ozpin would've screamed and run to Ruby to stop her if only the spiritual pressure wasn't forcing him down.

Reality changed in an instant, and every person present was put in their own blank dimension that would tell a tale long forgotten.

* * *

(Ichigo's Perspective)

"What the..." Those were the only words that left Ichigo's throat before he was silenced by the story that unfolded. At first, it appeared to be a classical fairy tale: a warrior of valor fights for a princess locked in a castle. It really made it hard to believe this was Remnant's history, and it was a world full of bizzare magic the likes that don't exist in his world as far as he knew.

It all seemed wonderful till tragedy happened in the so-called happy ending when Salem's lover, Ozma, died in bed of a sickness.

 **'That escalated quickly.'** Zangetsu commented.

It only got worse when Salem turned to the God of Life to bring her love back. Ichigo grimaced when the God of Life apparently denied her request for the natural order of things. The hybrid could understand the reasoning but it seemed too cruel for such a hurt individual.

Next came the God of Destruction, which was ironic given her request. Despite the darkness of it, that god actually returned Ozma to life. However, the older brother arrived clearly disgusted by his brother restoring life. They went in a cycle of killing and bringing back Ozma in their argument, each time traumatizing Salem. Ichigo gritted his teeth in fury at how casual they were just taking a life and restoring it before her eyes. Damn the gods, it was sickening.

"At least show some damn respect to the mourning, you bastards." Ichigo gritted through his teeth.

They came to an agreement to keep Ozma dead. The God of Life took her away, and gave her eternal life to learn the importance of life and death. Now Ichigo wanted the scold these two in person.

"She needs consoling, not some goddamn life lesson!" Ichigo exclaimed. Salem was just in mourning and what she needed was help to pull through the pain. Her immortality was indeed a curse when she couldn't kill herself to join Ozma.

 **'Yeah, like this can't** **backfire.'** said Zangetsu with obvious sarcasm.

He was proven correct when Salem traveled the lands to rebel against the gods.

 **'Called it.'** said Zangetsu.

As one would expect, Salem's rebellion did not win. But instead of killing the invading force, the gods decided to cause absolute genocide of the entire populace. What kind of reason did they need to do that?! Salem was left all alone as the two gods left, the younger destroying the moon in the process.

Zangetsu whistled at the show of destruction of the entire planet and the moon.

Salem yet again tried to kill herself yet again when she jumped into the God of Destruction's pool. She emerged as a hybrid bent on the destruction of everything.

Ichigo then learned of Ozma's reincarnation, and smiled when he was reunited Salem. It was like all that need for destruction left her very being. They eventually built something worthwhile, making a home in a castle and uniting the lands of Remnant yet again. Peace, as the God of Light wanted, seemed to be possible with the two working together. The two had four children even, and everything looked bright for the future.

Ichigo frowned. As history says, that isn't the case.

When Ozma saw that his kids had magic, he panicked. One night he tried to run from Salem only to be caught in the middle of the night. The fight that ensued was terrifying, and Ichigo grimaced when their own children were caught in the crossfire.

Ichigo couldn't help but pity Salem. She was broken when Ozma died, suffering for eternity until he came back only to betray her. The last bit of humanity she had shattered that night because of him. As for Ozma himself, Ichigo didn't know if he should feel sorry for him.

"So much for a hero." said Ichigo.

* * *

(Real World)

The party came back to reality, shocked at what Jinn revealed. The genie disappeared into the lamp. Everyone except the off-worlders and Ruby turned to glare daggers at Ozpin.

Ruby was really, really angry, which meant only one thing.

' _Get him!_ _'_ Ruby asked Cristina

 **'... _Yess~."_**

This whole time, he was lying to them that they could win. How could they win when their enemy is immortal? When Yang ranted on and asked what his actual plan was, he had - none! Tears were going down his face in shame. Qrow was about to punch Ozpin until a chuckle caught their attention.

It was too feminine to come from Ichigo and Senna was facing forward with wide eyes. Ren was silently fuming at Ozpin holding back such crucial information, but reigned himself in from doing anything.

The laughter was coming from Ruby.

After all they just saw, Ruby was laughing?!

"He-he." Ruby chuckled, her shoulders shaking trying to keep it in, "He-ha. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Weiss stomped to her partner with disgust. "How could you laugh after what you saw?!"

She didn't get any response from the scythe-wielder. When Ren, Senna, and Ichigo sensed her reiatsu, they suddenly jumped a step back whipping out their zanpakuto. It wasn't a shinigami's reiatsu anymore.

"Ruby is shocked and is stupified." answered 'Ruby', whipping her head back to stare into unfamiliar eyes, "'Me', I just find it hilarious!"

She waved a hand over her face. Purple reiatsu with white clouded away her face. When it cleared, the Remnanties stumbled by the harsh change in the air and the new terrifying wolf mask that adorned Ruby's face. Blood red eyes stared back at them with violence and death riddled in them.

'Ruby' turned to SIR. **"Don't get your pants in a mess, - ha-ha-ha - I am not going to kill you. Ruby is actually fuming herself and decided to allow me to vent out her frustrations. Call me Cristina."**

Everyone didn't seem to relax from her so-called promise that Ruby was allowing this. Sweat poured down the shinigami's necks. Cristina's gaze fell over the other Remnanties.

"What are you, a split personality?" Weiss asked, her swordhand shaking.

Cristina laughed. **"Trust me, I'm a lot more than that."** Cristina turned to a shaking Yang. **"It's nice to finally meet you, big sis."**

"Oi!" Ichigo called, "Better not do any funny business."

 **"Whatever do you mean?"** Cristina played innocent while inching into Ichigo's personal space, **"Is it the not-so-innocent schemes Ruby has for you in bed?"**

Ichigo tried to keep his composure at Ruby's Grimm flirting with him, but his tail was waving a storm behind him. Weiss, Blake, and Qrow dropped their jaws at the pair's strange romance. Yang looked like she was going to kill Ichigo if he went through with those 'schemes'.

 _'Sorry Ichigo, but Cristina has no self-control.'_ Ruby's voice cried in Ichigo's head.

Cristina gave a bout of laughter before turning back to Ozpin. The reincarnated spirit froze on the sadistic look in those blood red eyes. It was like a Beowulf boring down on him without any resistance.

 **"You know how I find that so hilarious?"** said Cristina, leaning forward, **"Because you're a damn idiot. Really, that's what you wanted to hide so badly? Salem being immortal. Why the heck should that stop us? She may be immortal, but is she unbeatable?"**

Cristina lifted Ozpin to his feet and extended a finger pointing over his shoulder. A purple orb formed at the fingertip, and they all tensed at the pressure it held. Ozpin no longer saw a Grimm, but the God of Destruction himself standing right before him.

Ichigo would've tried to stop her, but if his girlfriend was doing this to vent frustrations he did not want to add on her list.

 **"Let me show you."** Cristina whispered, **"Cero."**

A cero, smaller than the last ones, fired from Ruby's finger. It tore through the landscape like butter. She aimed upwards and the blast split the clouds apart, providing a clearing from the snow. Except the shinigami, everyone could barely stand when Ruby just showed a power that went far beyond a maiden. No one could just split part the sky with force alone.

 **"I'm a Grimm,"** snarled Cristina, **"That makes Ruby one as well. I'm her instinct, her rage, her shadow taken form and power. And I say you're a dumbass and a coward. We don't need to kill Salem, as much as I would love to. All we need to do is stop her. There is a difference, ya know."**

Cristina threw Ozpin into a nearby tree like he was a small rag doll. The mask started to crack as Ruby regained control.

 **"Be very lucky that Ruby and I are on such good terms, or else I would've eaten you."**

The mask shattered into dust, and Ruby's eyes returned to their lustrous silver. However, Ruby stared back at Ozpin with so much malice and hate she could've frozen him on the spot.

"You said that you've made more mistakes than any human on this planet ever." Ruby said, "Yet, you can't seem to learn from them, Ozpin. You can't stop being a coward."

Pleading eyes stared back at Ruby, begging from the girl who he let into Beacon. But that girl wasn't standing before him. In her place was a grown warrior exceeding any Huntress he was ever met combined with the malice of a Grimm.

"Maybe you're right." mumbled Ozpin.

Ozpin's eyes glowed golden and Oscar was put into place. This transfer however was different. That much Ruby could tell.

"He's gone." muttered Oscar.

"That bastard!" Yang exclaimed, "Bring him out here right now!"

"I can't!" said Oscar, rising to his feet, "He's locked himself deep in my head. Uh, our head. RAAUGH!"

"He just left us?!" exclaimed Weiss.

"What do we do-"

"Enough!" cried Maria, "We need to get a move on from this storm, and you're all reeking negativity. I'm still coming to terms that a mountain a blew up, the apparent dead are coming back, a girl broke the storm, and this is humanity's second coming, but I'll be damned if I die out here in this cold after living so long!"

"She's right." voiced Ren, sheathing his zanpakuto, "We need to get a move on. If a horde comes through here, we can't guarantee your safety."

Ruby relaxed her stance, visibly much calmer than she was a few moments ago. She looked to her teammates, SIRR and RWBY, and gave them a wide berth of a warm smile that they all knew too well. They then set out for supplies while leaving a still slack-jawed Senna just coming to terms from what she saw from Jinn.

"WHY IS NO ONE FREAKING OUT THAT THERE IS A GUY OUT THERE WHO CAN DESTROY MOONS!?"

* * *

(Time-Skip)

The party of Remnanties and shinigami were walking on a snow covered path. Ruby (holding Jinn), Ichigo and Qrow led the way, followed by Blake and Weiss. Behind them were Senna and Yang pushing the motorcycle with Maria sitting on the seat, and following them was just Ren looking out for their rear with Oscar by his side looking glum.

"I just want to get the stupid Relic to Atlas." complained Blake.

"Here's hoping we don't have to walk there." said Weiss.

"I thought trails were supposed to lead us somewhere." said Yang to Maria.

"Do you have anything to do than to harass an old lady?" asked Maria.

"Hold on!" Ruby stopped the party's advance. Her new wolf ears picked up a creak in the distance. Blake listened as well and turned into the direction. Almost faded away in the snowstorm was a creaking red gate leading into a small farm town. A sign above it read Brunswick Farms.

"Yeah, totally not creepy." commented Ichigo.

Ruby gave Ichigo an agreeing glance. "Be careful, everyone."

"Anything is better than this storm." Senna cried with Yang nodding in shared pain.

"We could all use some rest." said Qrow, opening the gates. He suddenly held back Ichigo, "Nuh uh, you and I need to have a quick chat."

Ichigo looked back to Ruby, who only gave a wink. Yang stayed with the greatsword pair, and didn't say anything until the others were just out of earshot.

"Ugh, what do you want?" Ichigo groaned, only to receive a wicked smile from Yang that said, 'I am so tempted to break you in half'.

"I don't know you, kid." said Qrow, leering toward Ichigo's face, "And frankly it's worse since you are in a relationship of the romantic sorts with my niece. I don't care if she spent two months with you and that she knows you better, but I don't care really because I do not trust you."

"Like hell I'd betray any of Ruby's family and friends." Ichigo said.

"That's not the point, orange-head." Yang spoke, her eyes turning crimson, "See, I've already lost my sister. All of a sudden she comes back and has a boyfriend magically appear for her. But I can't help that you've played her for ulterior motives."

Ichigo frowned. "No way in hell I'd ever do something like that to Ruby."

"Then what do you think of her?" Yang asked.

"What do I think?" said Ichigo, pausing to say the words, "I think Ruby is one of the best people I have ever met. I think she is the only one who I can put my trust in completely to watch my back, and I hers. I think of her with a heart of gold that she shares for everyone, and always looks for the light in everyone she meets. Ruby - is one of a kind and I wouldn't give her up for anything."

A pause permeated between the trio. Seconds felt like hours as the moment dragged on with the Brawnwens examining Ichigo. Finally, Qrow put a comforting hand on Ichigo's shoulder with a smile on his face.

"Good answer." Qrow said before walking to the others.

Yang stayed longer, eyeing Ichigo with those red eyes. She leveled a heated glare to the pseudo-shinigami, but Ichigo did not flinch.

"Ruby is really happy around you, that much I can see." Yang said, "My baby sister being happy is very important to me, so I won't cause trouble over you out of being suspicion. But... you hurt her, break her heart, or do anything that ruins my little Ruby, I will personally tear off your manhood with very rusty blades, rip out your spine through your asshole, and take your bloody, beaten, meat pile of a corpse to feed to Zwei. Are we clear?"

"C-Cystal." Ichigo answered through his terror.

"Good." Yang said, her eyes changing back to lilac. "Who knows? Maybe one day I can call you a brother."

Twelve paces Yang walked till Ichigo let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding. Who can blame him? He just escaped certain death by a red-eyed demon.

* * *

 **I thought it was cool giving a perspective of the vision for Ichigo. In the case of Senna, her mind would just shut off at the fact someone can actually destroy a moon. Ren would be angry of course of Ozpin for lying but he's, well... Ren of course.**

 **Up next is Chapter 31.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	31. Brunswick Dead Farm

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Note: I changed Ichigo's Semblance from intangibility to blink instead, where he can teleport by switching places with someone or an object.**

 **Chapter 31: Brunwick Dead Farm**

'This doesn't feel right.' thought Ichigo disturbed by the not literal chills going up and down this spine. With his spiritual pressure that he passively leaks out in waves Ichigo basically had his own coat even if he was shirtless. He did however become concerned by Ruby's friends' lack of winter clothing, but assumed it was because of their Aura. He still doubted their limits to the cold as the snowstorm started to pickup into a blizzard. The silence was too unnerving, and the chilly air gave a dreaded sense of foreboding. Unconsciously, Ichigo twitched his fingers on the hilt of Zangetsu ready for any kind of attack.

 **'That's good, Kingy.'** said Zangetsu, **'Keep those instincts sharp. It will save you.'**

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he observed the town. Everything was oddly intact, yet there were no signs of life. It all just screamed to be alert.

Shortly on his cautious stroll, Ichigo caught sight of familiar, bright silver eyes with her old team on the porch of a house. Ruby and Ichigo met their eyes and both twinkled towards each other. The smile on Ruby's face could melt the entire snowstorm. With her were Weiss and Qrow.

"I don't get it." Ichigo heard Ruby say as he approached, "The empty towns I've passed through have been damaged or unfinished. But this place looks fine, and that's not normal. Whatever did this may be still here, so we need to keep our guard up."

"M-Maybe everyone left in a-a hurry." said Weiss in a shiver, which was ironic given where she was born.

Ruby shook her head. "No, I don't think there are any survivors. If there were, I would feel their reiatsu out, but there isn't a sliver left."

Seeing the confused looks on Qrow and Weiss, Ruby opted to explain. "You could say it is another way of saying Aura. Reiatsu comes from the soul, and when generated it becomes an energy named reiryoku. I don't sense either."

Ichigo made himself known. "I agree. This doesn't feel right, and we had to fight through Soul Society. Be on guard."

Qrow nodded and tried to twist the knob of the door, and quite strangely it was locked. He took a step back before kicking the door down, then rushing in with weapons out. Ichigo and Ruby sharply observed the house they entered for any threat, their zanpakuto ready to slice through whatever came.

Blake, Yang, and Oscar followed ready for a fight. Ruby's wolf ears seemed stiffened for any sound, and Ichigo's tail looked ready to wrap around any he found his way. The air froze under the tension of the warriors present at the entrance.

"Close the damn door already!" cried Maria, "It's too cold in here as it is."

The animal appendages of Ruby, Ichigo, and Blake visibly relaxed when they sensed no threat nearby. Once everyone went inside, Oscar and Blake barricaded the door with a cabinet. The cat Faunas went to get some logs for a fire, and Weiss went to get blankets for the night with Yang. Ren and Senna explored to find some food, or to practice Kido somewhere else if the happy expression on Senna's face would indicate such. Maria settled herself in the family room where the fireplace was. Ruby caught sight of a wall of three photographs. The biggest was a picture of the entire town that only consisted of a few families. Another pair of footsteps stopped at her sight, and she could hear the familiar grunt of pity.

"This is just sad." commented Ichigo, "All these people put all this to make something wonderful for everyone. Only for it all to bring it down."

"This is what happens to those who have ambition." Ruby said, "You get something wonderful or the Grimm bring ruin. This is why we are always so desperate to get rid of the Grimm so we can make these wonders possible."

Ruby reached out a hand and caressed the part of the portrait of the family in the middle with the little girl. She sighed knowing that such an innocent soul was unfortunately taken from this world, but she couldn't cry about it like she would a while ago. Maybe being a pseudo-shinigami perhaps nullifies any feelings towards death or maybe Ruby has matured enough in her adventure as one to accept all kinds of death no matter how painful.

"AAUGH!"

The shrill scream of Weiss snapped Ruby out of her thoughts. "WEISS!"

Panic rushed through Ruby. For all she knew, her partner could be in mortal danger so she used a shunpo to instantly appear where Weiss' reiatsu signature was. The Shnee heiress was with Yang in a bedroom, on the floor panting in terror. Blake, Ichigo, Ren, and Qrow followed next. Eyes went to the bed, and some gasps escaped their mouths.

In that bed were decayed bodies of a couple, killed in their sleep.

"Holy ####." Ichigo swore.

Seconds passed as the group could only look at the bodies in shock, with the shinigami present staring at the bodies with wide eyes. According to them, there wasn't even a taste of reiatsu from them. Ren approached the bed and examined the bodies more closely, feeling out anything he could find. He waved a hand over them that glowed an ethereal green.

Ren turned back to everyone a moment later. "Died in their sleep and a very long time ago if we go by how much they have decayed. Strange thing is there aren't any signs of attack, like they were drained."

Ruby could only sigh. This was just becoming too hectic. Ren walked Qrow and Blake out while Ruby crouched to Yang and Weiss to rest supportive hands on their shoulders.

"C'mon, let's get downstairs."

* * *

(Time-Skip)

Ren and Qrow went to investigate the other houses for the same phenomenon from upstairs. The rest of the party made themselves comfortable in the living room where a blue fire was lit by a simple Sokatsui from Ruby. That caught a few wide eyes from everyone until she explained the ways of Kido. Weiss was sitting by the blue fire with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a steaming cup in hand. Ruby was standing on her left side with Oscar. Blake and Yang were sitting on a couch with Ichigo leaning on the wall beside them. On the right of Weiss were Senna and Maria sitting on chairs.

A swoosh of wind and Ren appeared with shunpo before the group, then Qrow bust through the door wiping snow off his arm. They only took one look at the group and shook his head.

"It's the same in every house." said Ren, "They've all died in their sleep and at the same time."

Qrow walked the fireplace. "It's like the whole place went to sleep and never woke up."

"We're not staying here, are we?" asked Weiss apprehensively.

"We don't have a choice." Qrow corrected, "The storm won't let up," Qrow then looked to the pseudo-shinigami, "and not all of us can tank the cold."

"Uhh... sorry?" Senna apologized meekly.

"Whelp." Maria announced, jumping off the chair and walking to the bookshelf, "Might as well get comfortable."

"Yeah, fat chance." Yang commented.

"Enough!" Ruby snapped, "I know you're all frustrated over Ozpin's, or Ozma's, of, well, there is no less to say than absolutely being pathetic. We can use any supplies the town might still have. Maybe even a vehicle to carry us all."

"I'll do another sweep of the town." said Qrow, walking off, "No one goes alone."

Yang sighed. "Whatever gets me out of this house."

Ren turned his gaze to Senna. "Would you like to practice more Kido, Senna-san?"

Senna perked up. "Yes please."

Yang and Blake left to find anything to help with transporting them while Ren and Senna went to practice (hopefully lightly) Kido in a separate room. Ruby barricaded the door again once they left, but at the entrance to the living room was Weiss looking down with Ichigo looking straight at Ruby concerned with her friend's well-being.

Ruby smiled at Weiss. "Food always makes me feel better."

Weiss sighed. "You never change."

"Well, at least I'll do something." said Ichigo following the pair.

The trio entered a dark cellar at the end of a hall passed the stairs. At first, Ruby used her zanpakuto and poured her reiatsu to produce a glow that only grazed the shadows. Weiss, however, raised Myrtenaster with a flame burning at its tip. Embers traveled from the flame to every candle in the room, revealing a miniature bar.

Ruby frowned at the shelves full of bottles. "Let's keep the door closed so my uncle doesn't drink the whole place dry."

Weiss blinked at Ruby for a second before nodding. Ichigo continued forth to another door at the end of the room. As he investigated the other room, Weiss spoke up to Ruby.

"Ruby," asked Weiss, "do we have to go to Atlas?"

"Where else can we take the Relic to?" said Ruby.

Ruby and Weiss followed the pseudo-shinigami inside. Weiss frowned when there was a door to a wine cellar.

"Yo, found some food here." Ichigo called from the side.

Ruby gave a cute gasp and dashed to Ichigo's side. Next Weiss knew, Ruby was holding a can of food with a glowing smile on her face.

"Food!" Ruby squeaked.

"Canned beans?" Weiss wondered.

"I could probably make something good out of this." said Ichigo, grabbing as much as he could, "I'm not Yuzu, but I can cook."

"Can't wait to try." Ruby cheered.

Ichigo glanced back to the rows of canned food just lying there on the shelves. He switched back and forth with his reptilian tail and the shelf. An idea lit up in his head.

"Let me try something." said Ichigo.

He focused on moving his fifth new limp. At first, it just waved randomly but Ichigo found the more he used it the more easier it was to control. Like Zangetsu said, all that is needed is instinct. Eventually with some focus, Ichigo got full control of the white reptilian tail and revealed to be almost ten feet at full length. It wrapped around the cans of food on the shelf and gently held them up in the air. It was literally easier done than said.

"Well, that's convenient." Weiss complimented, "Obviously strong and can cook. I'm starting to get jealous of you, Ruby."

Weiss smiled at her own take on a joke. In response, Ruby gave half of a glare and some pink dusted on her cheeks.

Ichigo smiled as he gave a few experimental waves with the cans of food wrapped gently in his tail. "I think I am going to like having a tail."

As they left, none of the trio realized the shaking of the wine cellar door

Ichigo, Ruby, and Weiss reached the front of the house with cans of food in their arms. Yang and Blake were returning to bring news of a cart they could attach on and Qrow got back from another patrol. There was a sudden boom from one of the rooms in the house. All attention went to the returning pair of Ren and Senna, the latter covered in ash.

"What happened to you?" asked Ichigo.

"Tried to use Haien." Senna groaned, coughing out some ash, "It, uh, didn't go so well."

"You are not ready for Hado spells in the 50s, Senna." Ren lectured.

"C'mon, let's eat-"

Ruby was about to say until she cut herself off. Her eyes dilated and locked on Blake, most notably her cat ears. Her wolf ears stiffened straight and if she had a complimentary tail it would be shaking like crazy. Confused looks drew on the pseudo-shinigami wolf faunas. Blake however had a horrified expression as her cat ears perked up in alarm and she took paces back.

"Oh no." Blake bemoaned, "Oh god no. Please, Ruby. Please don't do it."

"... must... chase..." Ruby mumbled in a trance, "... must... get... cat... play with Blake..."

A feral grin stretched itself on Ruby's face, highlighting her canines. A dog's pant replaced her normal breathing. Ruby leaped into a chase in a dash of rose petals and reappearing in a failed catch where Blake was standing. Due to her heightened reflexes, the cat Faunas got out of the way in time and was currently clinging on top of one of the couches.

"Uh, what's happening?" Oscar asked.

Ichigo facepalmed and sighed. "Oh Kami, I think Ruby is trying to chase Blake."

"Why would Ruby chase her?" Yang asked.

"BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK!"

It was at this point Ruby crouched to a lower height and was almost on all fours like a wolf. Blake's fingers sunk into the couch, fear riddling her dilated eyes and drew her back up.

"Yeah, that is a stupid question." Yang admitted, seeing the answer between the two Faunas. Honestly, what else would happen between a cat and a wolf Faunas? Instinct is rather stronger when a pair like that meet, and usually causes a disaster.

Yang had to duck avoiding two blurs. Blake was now perched on top of a lamp in the corner with Ruby being held back by Ichigo's tail.

"PLEASE SOMEONE SAVE ME!" Blake pleaded while hissing at the rival Faunas.

"BARK, BARK, BARK!"

"Oh my goodness, she is actually acting like Zwei." Yang said, losing her breath as she laughed.

"It is never going to be dull moment with Ruby now a Faunas, is it?" said Weiss.

"You said it, not me." Yang replied.

"Oi!" Ichigo called, his feet struggling to stay put while holding back Ruby who was on all fours, "Somebody help me here!"

* * *

(Time-Skip)

The next hour or less was spent trying to calm Ruby down from her break in self-control and Blake from the trauma of being chased. Be it actual cat or Faunas, it is the worst nightmare of all felines to be chased by the savage canines. Dinner was served by Ichigo in the form of baked beans and whatever spices he could find. The group of quite impressed by his surprising skill. Ruby was simply enjoying a bowl of it with Ichigo as the pair were sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Everyone else except Qrow were in the living room finished with their meal.

"I'm impressed, orange-head." Yang called from the living room, "Now I won't have to worry about Ruby going on about her cookie addiction since now she's got her own baker."

Ichigo scowled. "For the last time, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I mean, come on what's so weird about having orange hair."

"It just that yours looks so bright that it has to be bleached." said Weiss.

"Trust me, I did a thorough check on that hair of his," Ruby denied, "and it is definitely his natural hair color. I love it."

Yang chuckled, but Ruby could tell it was mostly fake. Mostly everyone except the shinigami had very low moral. Ruby looked the right to find Qrow sitting in a chair gazing at the moonlight with a bottle of alcohol on the floor. Ichigo already nodded to Ruby and she walked to her uncle. She could smell the beer from his breath, giving Ruby a strong urge to slap her uncle. Now was not the time to be drinking.

"The storm has cleared up." Qrow informed without giving a glance to Ruby, "We'll leave by morning."

"As soon as we leave the better." Ruby said.

"I know." Qrow said, "I just have a bad feeling about this place. Especially with me around."

"We still need you." Ruby said in a raised voice, "You're also why some of us are still here, so I need you in tiptop shape."

"Heh, sure." Qrow said in drawn out tone that meant the opposite, "I'll wake you guys in the morning

Ruby's fists clenched at her side, but she held in her rage for the moment. Qrow wasn't in his worse shape, at least not yet.

"I'm serious, Uncle." Ruby said with a small snarl, "Stay - sober. And don't bother with me. Senna and I going to spend the night to train."

Qrow said nothing in return. She went to the living room to gesture Senna outside. The pair stood opposite each other a safe distance from the house to avoid collateral damage. Senna immediately released Mirokumaru, her sword lengthening and turning into a golden staff. Winds carrying autumn leaves sprang to life around in a whirlwind. Ruby smiled feeling the reiatsu of her friend which was now stronger than a 3rd Seat since the first time they met. Pretty soon she'll reach captain level and then they can get started with Bankai.

Ruby didn't release her zanpakuto at all as she held in a kendo style Urahara tutored her on. She relied on a more fluid defense with deflections and dodges with just the medium in regular defense. Unfortunately, it contrasted with her style wielding her scythe that focused on unrelenting offensive speed.

Without a word, Senna charged Ruby with an overhead. Ruby simply deflected it away while sliding her blade down the polearm for a palm strike behind Senna's reach. The purple-head gritted her teeth and slid her staff down her hands so the butt of his could block her hand. Ruby gave her an approving smile for Senna's quick-thinking.

Ruby disappeared with a burst of shunpo and landed a kick to Senna's back. The blow was enough to send her sprawling over the snow for a few feet, but the shinigami quickly righted herself with a handstand and shook any snow out of her hair. Maple eyes narrowed on the smiling Ruby in a lazy stance.

"C'mon Senna, I know you can see my movements." Ruby said.

Senna widened her eyes when Ruby suddenly appeared right in front of her lunging her blade. She just moved her head out of the way while her Aura grazed against the steel. Ruby followed-up putting her hand on the blunt edge and forced the zanpakuto blade into a heavy side slash. This gave Senna enough time to block it with Mirokumaru. Steel against steel caused a start of sparks to go off and her feet immediately left the ground from the power overwhelming Senna. The shinigami flew off at the end and crashed into the snow. Ruby's attack continued on digging a trench into the ground, and picking up snow and earth into the sky as it went on.

"Uhh... oops." said Ruby, a sweatdrop on her forehead seeing the destruction she accidentally caused.

A sudden powerful tornado exploded from the earth, freeing Senna from an early grave. The shinigami used her zanpakuto's immense control of the winds, sending a a horizontal twister blasting at high-speeds to Ruby. Her eyes widened at the speed and she just raised her zanpakuto in time to block it. Ruby gritted her teeth as the tempest started to push her back. Before Ruby could jump out of the way, two vertical tornadoes slammed into her sides. Her Aura ached under the building pressure. Ruby looked up and only had enough time to see Senna raining down three more upon her.

 **"Orutenpesuto."**

The chant of her Senna's move marked the signature of her Shikai surrounding Ruby in several tornadoes that combined into a dome of shredding wind on impact trapping Ruby in the deadly space. Senna wasn't done as she put one hand on her staff and focused her reiatsu.

 **"Hado 11: Tsuzuir Raiden."**

Lightning etched from her arm onto the staff then traveled down every tornado like a wire. Once all electric currents met, the dome exploded in massive explosion of electricity. Winds combined with lightning to further damage Ruby inside the dome. A smile etched on Senna's face.

"Ha-ha, take that, Ruby-san." Senna celebrated, "I win-"

 **"Cast of the Void, Mazarozu."**

A great explosion of white reiatsu dispersed the winds and lightning like they were nothing. Senna shielded her eyes from the sheer pressure waving over the area. Snow flew away from the ground revealing the bare earth. In the center was Ruby with her released zanpakuto now a mighty scythe. There were a few scratches on Ruby's face, but nothing of significance.

"I'm sorry." Senna squeaked in terror.

Ruby smiled, deeply impressed how far Senna had come. The fact Ruby forced her to release Mazarozu at all speaks volumes. Right now, she could say that her level could now reach to a lieutenant indefinitely.

"You're doing so well, Senna-san." Ruby said, "From now on, we can do our fights with both our Shikai."

"What are you talking about?" Senna boasted, "This fight-"

-"is over." Ruby's voice said from behind Senna. The maple-eyed shinigami felt the butt of a something hard hit her in the head and everything went black. Her fall was interrupted when Ruby put a hand under Senna and slowly descended back to the ground. Ruby glanced to Senna glad that she put such a good fight. She stared to the horizon and quirked one eyebrow when she saw the sun start to rise.

Did they really fight that long?!

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter. I wanted to add just a little fight so everyone could see Senna's progress as a shinigami and where she stacks up.**

 **Up next is Chapter 32: Death to Apathy**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	32. Death to Apathy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?**

 **Chapter 31: Death to Apathy**

The last thing Ruby expected was to see Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Oscar at the door staring at Ruby like she had a second head. Admittedly, Ruby and Senna may have gone a bit too far in their spar. It only went over Ruby's head as she gave her friends a sheepish expression. She gently dropped Senna on a nearby chair before speaking.

"You're up on time." Ruby noted blankly.

"No thanks to you." Weiss chided.

Ruby's expression turned a bit serious. "So you saw?"

Seconds passed as Team RWBY just stared at their leader. Ruby could note some minor annoyance in Weiss, Blake was a bit cautious with Ruby for obvious reasons, and Yang was unreadable. Another ten seconds passed and one of the faces changed into a wide grin from the blonde.

"That was awesome, sis!" Yang exclaimed, "You told us you were strong, but call me wrong when we watch you tear up the landscape."

"How is this funny?!" Weiss berated the blonde. "I'm sure Ruby just caused an earthquake somewhere in the night."

Yang ignored Weiss and continued. "Now I'm more excited to see what you can do against us."

"If you think that was awesome," Ruby said with a wolfish grin, "that was only a light exercise at best."

While Blake and Weiss were gawking in disbelief at Ruby's words, Yang didn't even falter her smile. In fact, it somehow widened by just a few centimeters. A terrible image came to Ruby's head seeing such a similar look on a battle-crazed maniac in Soul Society. Her eyes widened a moment before Yang's hand touching her shoulder brought her back to reality. That added to Ruby's mental list of rules: never let Yang and Kenpachi meet.

Ruby should probably make an entirely new list of people Yang should never meet back in Ichigo's world.

"I don't know what happened to you, sis, but I like this new attitude of power and confidence you have around you." Yang praised. "I have to thank whoever broke you out of your shell and revealed the awesome baby sister I knew you are."

"One of them is Ichigo." Ruby said with a slight smug smile. If there was one thing Ruby can boast about to her sister it would be that she had a boyfriend first. "Speaking of orange sunshine, is he awake?"

Yang nodded. "Passed out on the floor with nothing but a blanket. Guess I don't have to worry about you two going in the same bed if he's offering to sleep on the floor."

By accident, Yang got a reaction from Ruby as her cheeks burned a bright scarlet. "Same... bed!"

Ruby's eyes took on a glossy gaze to them. Her mind instantly into such scenarios. A key detail being Ruby inching into Ichigo's amazing aura of comfort and safety line never before. Slowly those thoughts became a bit... less tame to say.

As evident by a strange reddening on Ruby's nose.

"... Ruuby~..." Yang's voice echoed, waving a hand in front of her hypnotized sister, "... Remnant to Ruby... Come on, Ruby!"

"Eh-wha- what!?" Ruby exclaimed snapping out of her trance. She felt like that she was rudely awoken from a wonderful dream that memories of such were fading away.

"C'mon, Ruby," said Yang with a knowing grin, "We don't need our leader to have any perverted daydreams of your walking hotstuff."

"I was having no such thing!" Ruby denied, her blush betraying her.

Yang leaned in closer till their eyes were just several inches apart. That grin on the blonde's face did not let up like she was reading her mind and every thought bringing more to embarrass Ruby.

"Oh, I can see how you look at him sometimes." said Yang, "You were in pure bliss. If I couldn't see it, then Blake of all people would of course see it."

Blake quirked an eyebrow at that statement. "Why me specifically?"

Weiss and Yang gave the cat Faunas a flat look that basically said 'It's so obvious'.

"Blake, as much as I disgust that filthy smut you read in Beacon," said Weiss, "it does warrant some basic insight. Besides, did you really think no one was going to find your stash?"

Blake's eyes dilated to the slits of a real cat. Beads of sweat went down her face trying to come up for an answer only to lower her head in shame.

"Shame on you, Blake." Ruby scolded playfully.

"That's the pot calling the kettle." Yang retorted, "At least you've finally hit puberty a few years late."

Ruby glared at her sister while her wolf ears twitched in irritation. Then they stiffened when Ruby's face almost lit up at an idea for payback. She tried her hardest to keep back a devious smile that would've definitely been obvious of her intentions with her canines.

"Well, we need to head out soon." Ruby said, "Yang, could you please go wake up Ichigo? He needs a really good punch to wake up."

"You had me at 'punch'." Yang said, already walking with glee to wake up the pseudo-shinigami.

Once Yang ascended to the top of the stairs, Ruby finally allowed herself to let out snickers. Blake and Weiss shared confused faces while staring at Ruby like she had a second head. A few seconds later there was a masculine yelp, a crash of wood, and followed by a hurling Yang bouncing down the stares and embedding herself in the wall. Blake and Weiss stared unblinkingly at the blonde who was driven into the wooden wall with pure force alone from a punch no less if the bruise on her belly indicated anything. Ruby finally couldn't take it and clutched her stomach in pain from laughter till she collapsed and rolled all over the floor.

"Damn, orange-head knows how to punch." Yang groaned, "Why the heck didn't you tell me, Ruby!?"

"It - , ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, - is called payback." Ruby laughed, kicking her legs.

"You win this round." said Yang, pushing herself out of the wall.

Ichigo arrived downstairs with a scowl on his face along with a fist mark on his cheek. "I thought I had enough of Goat-chin punching me while I'm asleep. Why is your sister the same nutcase?"

"That's just Yang for you." Ruby answered innocently, "So, where's Uncle Qrow?"

The mood instantly dropped a bit, leaving a confused Ruby in the silence. Yang gestured to a corner where Ruby's gaze followed and locked in both fury and a bit of shock. Her smile flattened to a stony look, and the temperature seemed colder than a second ago. Ichigo gulped a bit at the frustration almost etching a copy of his own hated scowl on Ruby's seemingly innocent face. WBY made cautious steps back from their team leader.

"Leave." Ruby simply stated.

WBY glanced at Ichigo, who nodded in confirmation and they exited to the porch. Ruby took a shaky breath to quell her raging emotions certainly enhanced from her Cristina's powers. Ruby approached her uncle unconscious in a chair with a bottles of alcohol at his feet. Every step she took showed how livid Ruby was in this situation. Just what possessed Qrow to just drink himself out cold? If it wasn't for her spar with Senna, none of them would've woken up. Ozma's truth revealed may have shaken up the group, but Ruby's experiences from Earth as a shinigami told her this was not the time. Looking at him right now, Ruby could see that he was tearing himself apart.

"Uncle Qrow." Ruby snarled, shaking her uncle rather violently, "Get up, you lazy bum!"

"Leave me... alone." Qrow groaned in his sleep.

Ruby's free hand clenched at her side. Leave him alone? ALONE!? If he leaves them alone, the whole group will far apart and they'll lose some significant manpower, even with Team SIRR on their side. The message was clear in his moaning: give up.

That made Ruby livid beyond belief at the best thing she had as a mentor. Ruby tried to shake him again, or get a grip on him to throw him out the window, but Qrow pushed her arm away. A tick mark made itself visible on Ruby's forehead. Her hand went to a bottle, empty like all the rest but still stinking with the drink.

Ruby's hand shook as she raised the bottle, small cracks appearing on the glass around her fingers. With one stroke, Ruby struck the bottle on Qrow's head and the glass shattered on contact.

"Ow, what the hell-" Qrow stopped himself short at the hated glare his own niece was bearing down on him and the bottles littering the floor. Qrow cursed inwardly for drinking himself out instead of focusing on his damn responsibilities. But Ozpin had been his savior. He owed him, trusted him with his life and yet he lied to them. How was he supposed to cope with that?

Before Qrow could make an excuse, Ruby cut him off with a tone that contrasted with her innocent nature.

"Stupid old man!" Ruby shouted in a rant, "You have people who need you, but, no, drinking had to be more goddamn important!"

"Ruby, I-"

"Don't!" Ruby growled, "Just don't! We need to all have clear heads here. But apparently if you want to lazy about, go right ahead! You want to talk, wait till I cool off so I don't try to strangle you like I want to right now! I've got work to do."

Ruby stomped to the door but not before shattering a cabinet with a single kick. She closed the front door behind her with a slam that shook the whole house and awoke any occupants who were once asleep. Qrow was paralyzed on the spot in bewilderment. He hadn't receive a talk like that since Summer.

* * *

(Time-Skip)

WBY, Ichigo, Oscar, Qrow, and Maria gathered outside of the house. The Huntresses had almost empty looks in their eyes, like they didn't want to do this and just stop. Meanwhile, Ren was giving Senna some last-minute instructions for her Kido to avoid the mishap from the other day. If the others went ahead, they could easily catch up with shunpo.

At the far end of the courtyard of Brunswick Farm approached Ruby pulling on a cart to carry most of the party in while Yang dragged it with her motorcycle. Her trudge in the snowy ground and the furrowed brow showed her agitation. Fortunately, Ruby did not look like she was going to lash out again.

"'Hi, I'm Qrow'," Ruby mumbled in a mock tone of her uncle, "'I like peeping on girls and drinking myself out cold because I can't handle a simple truth that the bad guy is immortal so that means we already lost'. Bunch a bull is what I call."

Once in front of her friends and family, Ruby dropped the cart with a loud thud and mumbled some curses. However, the gods of Remnant said otherwise and one of the tires sprang a leak and flattened. Ruby shook on the spot, clenched her fists, and her eyes twitched.

"####### **########!"** Ruby outraged, her Grimm mask materializing for just a moment. A moment that was long enough for Ruby to unleash Mazarozu and bring down a house with the force of her swing.

"Damn piece of crap can't do freaking anything I goddamn want!" Ruby ranted, stomping on the cart to make a small dent. "Is this what you want, you sadistic bitch of a universe?! I say screw you and your goddamn laws!"

Yang shot a glare to Ichigo when she heard the poor choice of words in Ruby's outrage, making the teen sweat a bit. Ruby huffed till her anger died down and she faced her group with a much more calm outlook.

"All we need is a spare tire." said Ruby.

"I'll go look." Ichigo answered. Ruby nodded, and Ichigo vanished in shunpo to quickly look for a tire. Meanwhile, Yang gave a sigh and sat down on the ground with a tired look.

"I just want this to end." said Yang, getting a look from Ruby, "Everyday we have to go through storms or monsters. I'm so tired."

"Me too." added Blake, "We are always having to fight to get by."

Ruby sighed. "Of course that's going to happen, but we signed up for this."

"To save the world, not delay the inevitable." Oscar said.

Ruby frowned. "Are-Are you _still_ going on about Salem being immortal?! We can still stop her."

"How?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Seal her away, imprison her." Ruby answered immediately.

"How does that work?!" Yang argued, leering toward her sister, "She will still live after we are all gone and one day Salem will get free."

"Just because she can't die doesn't mean that she is powerful, and someone stronger will eventually defeat her again." Ruby said, glaring defiant daggers to her sister. _'Though there may be the possibility I might live that long as a shinigami.'_

"Then it changes nothing!" Yang shouted.

"Of course it does!" Ruby snarled, clenching her fists till the knuckles turned white, "So what if it is temporary!? At least with Salem locked up, the Grimm won't be organized and humanity can have periods of true piece we so desperately wanted."

"Why are we even doing this?!" Yang exclaimed, "There's never an end to it. We're supposed to save the world but Salem can just outlive us all. And the relics? Why are we even bringing it to Atlas when the rest are just behind giant doors? Let's just throw it down the well and be done with it."

Ruby gritted her teeth and a guttural growl rumbled in her throat. "You want the easy way out!? Have all of you completely lost it?! So-so you would rather give Salem an edge when she finds it and let her kill more people than just doing the right thing and secure it!?"

"Then it can be someone else's problem." Yang said.

Yang's eyes had a bored but unrelenting look to Ruby who reciprocated with cold hate. Silver reiatsu brimmed off of Ruby's body, but Yang did not bow to the spiritual pressure. The rest of the party merely paced back seeing the inevitable clash between sisters.

"NO!" Ruby denied, "I'm not gonna lower myself like that."

"If you're not going to do it, then I will." Yang roared.

Yang's robotic arm reached for the lamp at Ruby's hip, only for her sister to grip it and hold it back. Silver eyes hard as steel glared back at Yang's now red eyes. The robotic arm tried to move forward with little success.

"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Ruby growled.

"I'm ending this mess now!" Yang announced.

"Back - off!" Ruby warned, her voice growing darker.

"And if I don't?" Yang said.

"Don't make me do this, Yang." Ruby warned.

"I'm tired of all this fighting." Yang said.

The blonde suddenly pushed forward to get Ruby off balance and reached with her left hand to the lamp. As soon as her fingers touched the handle, something akin to a truck hit her in the jaw and careened her into the porch. Yang reached a hand to her cheek and winced from the sting. Her eyes widened when she realized Ruby just gave one of the most heavy punches she felt in a long while.

"Goddammit, Ruby." cursed Yang.

"Ruby, please." Blake said, "Just throw the lamp down the well. That's just one less problem."

"What has gotten into you, guys?!" Ruby shouted, "You guys can't give up. We've come through far worse than this."

Ruby's eyes widened when a black glyph appeared at her feet to trap her down with gravity. She easily avoided it with shunpo before the effects took hold, then glared shockingly at Weiss who drew her rapier. She glanced next to Blake who also drew Gambol Shroud, though all three had almost lazy stances.

"Are you guys seriously going to do this?" Ruby said, trying to sound emotionless despite the betrayal she was feeling.

"We just want this to end." Weiss said sadly.

"You made me do this." Ruby all but warned. It wasn't even a threat; it was a promise. She drew out her zanpakuto blade and took a basic kendo stance to her teammates. No one moved as each side tried to find an opening to seize upon.

Next, there was a swish of shunpo and Ichigo arrived on the scene with a spare tire in hand. "Yo, found a tire. Let's... what the #### happened while I was gone?"

"Ichigo," Ruby said in deceptively sweet tone, "could you be a dear and please stay out of this?"

Ichigo didn't need to be told twice before backing up a considerable distance. That interaction gave Weiss the opportunity to dash in a lunge after Weiss. The new, shinigami Ruby only stared blankly at Weiss' attempt for an attack.

'Predictable.' thought Ruby.

Ruby lazily shifted to the side. With her enhanced Aura protecting her hand, Ruby grabbed a hold of Myrtenaster in mid-motion. A simple twist of the wrist yanked the weapon out of Weiss' hand, and Ruby spun into a kick to knock Weiss away while throwing her rapier the opposite way.

"C'mon Weiss, you could've lasted a lot longer than that." Ruby mumbled.

Next, Yang barreled forward with a cocked fist. Ruby simply put her zanpakuto in a downward, vertical hold and the Yang's fist struck the sword with a bang. The ground made a crater at their feet, but Ruby didn't budge nor did the steel of the blade even crack. Ruby's senses alerted to Blake presence coming from her right flank to grab the lamp. Ruby pointed a finger from her left hand and charged it with reiatsu.

 **"Hado 1: Sho."**

Blake couldn't use a clone to take a hit as an invisible force slammed into her abdomen and forced her into the ground. Ruby turned back to her sister, who broke the lock and was throwing a flurry of fists. Ruby just pushed the punches out of the way with one hand. When it came to the fast-paced style of hakuda, Yang had no chance of landing a hit. After parrying a jab, Ruby countered as her arm blurred and Yang stumbled back in pain by being hit multiple times in such a small time frame.

"Give up." said Ruby, only for her sister to grit her teeth and attack again.

Qrow could only watch in shock and a bit of pride as Ruby was basically beating down her teammates with such little effort. He could tell that every move that Ruby made came out of extreme discipline and practice. He would have to thank whoever picked up where he left off on teaching Ruby.

"What the heck?" The exclamation came front Senna who just arrived on the porch to see the team leader of SIRR battling against her friends. Ren followed, but his only reaction was widening his eyes. They returned to a calm nature as the Kido master thought what was making the others act this way. The moment he walked into town he knew nothing was right, especially how the townspeople died. It was like they literally never woke up, and they starved to death in their sleep.

Ren looked to Maria, who was too distracted with the fight one-sided fight. It reminded the former silver-eyed warrior how she fought in her battles, yet this girl seemed to have surpassed her. A tap on the shoulder brought her attention to Ren.

"May I borrow that journal?" Ren said, noting the book written by one of the townspeople.

Maria nodded and handed the journal to Ren. He simply started from the back till he found the last entry. Once he found the page, Ren noted the words 'I feel tired'. He was on the right track given the symptoms everyone was having on being low on moral and tired. Ren only needed to flip one page till his eyes widened on a drawing of a zombie-like Grimm and the plans the author made of keeping them underground.

'Apathy Grimm.' thought Ren, 'So that's why they are so off in attitude.'

Ren tossed the book aside and stepped closer to the fight to prepare a Kido spell, and just to be cautious a full chant.

 **"Disintegrate, black dog of Rondaniini, Look upon your burning soul and sever your throat! Bakudou 9: Geki."**

A red hue surrounded Weiss, Yang, and Blake and they were suddenly frozen on the spot. Only their faces had any movement, which cringed trying to move their bodies.

"They are not acting normal." Ren informed, "According to the journal, he brought a horde of Grimm called the Apathy into the sewer system. They have the power to slowly wilt down the will of humans. That would tell why everyone in town died in their sleep."

Ruby sighed in mild frustration. This entire town had pressed on all of her nerves. A grim (no pun intended) look washed over Ruby's face. This town caused so many headaches, and she finally had an excuse to destroy it.

"Ichigo!" called Ruby, "Did you get the tire in?"

Ichigo nodded just as he stood on his feet from the side of the cart.

"Ren, Senna." Ruby ordered, "Get everyone on the cart and get out of here."

"I can drive the motorcycle." Ichigo said as he hooked the Yang's vehicle to the cart.

"Don't you dare break my baby or I'll break your manhood!" Yang threatened through gritted teeth.

Maria, Oscar, and Qrow boarded the cart followed by the petrified Weiss, Yang, and Blake. Once Ren and Senna situated themselves, Ichigo turned on the engine and sped off out of Brunswick Farm.

"Hey!" shouted Qrow through the roar of the engine, "Why are we leaving Ruby behind?!"

"Trust me, old man." Ichigo said, "You want to be very far from what Ruby has in store."

Meanwhile, Ruby flew up into the air for a few hundred feet till the town seemed to fit between her fingers. She rested her right palm out, and began a chant that made the temperature rise as she continued.

(Que Escanor's Theme "Sunshine")

A small orange ball of flame burned to life in Ruby's palm but began to grow at a large rate as Ruby continued to chant.

 **"Two suns of Earth, of judges of soul. Golden sun, pity the weak. Silver sun, thou ask for flesh for sin. Demand your wrath, Amaterasu, to go in thy hands. By pride conquers such rebellious destruction. Great heat become my standing of strength above all..."**

By now, the once small ball of flame grew to a shining beacon that dwarfed any tree below. Its light was so great it seemed there rose a second sun, and its heat reached the ground below melting the snow like the breath of spring. But this heat and flame was not for life's rebirth. Blank eyes stared down at Brunswick Farm without remorse.

 **"... Hado 79: Zankokuna Taiyo."**

Ruby threw down the sun of orange flames that burned to destroy. In the sky, it shined like a meteorite ready to smite any unfortunate soul below. The others who were watching from a distance could only stare in awe. Brunswick Farm was its destination.

A second later the sky and earth lit up in a brilliant light, followed by a tremendous bang of a mighty explosion. The trees bent away from the force of the blast reaching the party. Snow was either lifted or melted. The trees closest were mostly likely burned to ash, or maybe even uprooted to crash elsewhere. Winter no longer had dominion of the forest as the temperature reached near summer season levels. Then, the sky was pierced by a great cloud of ash and smoke from where the Kido spell exploded.

From where Ruby was floating in the air, there was no longer the spec of a town. What was a town and the forest was a pitch black crater almost a mile wide and even deeper at its lowest level. Ruby took just a single breath of air, and a smile of relief was put on her face. As soon as that Kido spell hit, her mind felt like it had all weights and headaches gone.

* * *

 **Brunswick Farm was a horrid place of those Apathy Grimm. I had a heart attack when I first saw those things, so why not blow it to hell? Because that's what that town deserves!**

 **Up next is Chapter 33.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	33. Scowling Baby

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 33: Scowling Baby**

The Remnanties could only stare in shock to the direction of Brunswick Farm. There were a lot less trees left in that direction and a pillar of smoke, embers, and ash split the sky apart. Maria was checking ten times if her artificial eyes stopped working. Qrow didn't even bother getting his whisky bottle. The only ones who didn't react in the slightest were Ichigo, Ren, and Senna.

"What-" Yang said.

"-the-" Blake said.

"-hell!?" Weiss finished.

Ren decided to release the Kido spell on the three, giving freedom of movement to WBY. Ichigo slowed down the cycle to a slow hum. A swish of air later, Ruby appeared before the back of the cart.

She was also floating on top of the air while walking at the same speed as the motorcycle.

Silence dawned on everyone as most of the pairs of eyes were just staring at Ruby, who again was floating in the air. The agitation was gone from Ruby's face and replaced with her cheery, innocent expression she casually put on. In a burst of speed, Ruby seated herself in the corner of the cart next to Qrow.

"That's it!" cried Weiss, "I am done trying to figure you out."

"Good, it would've made your head hurt." Ruby retorted with a chuckle, "So... are you all okay?"

WBY turned their heads down in shame. Ruby's smile turned into a look of regret. Seconds of silence reigned until it was Yang who spoke up.

"Ruby." Yang said, "I... I'm sorry for how I acted back there. We were just being selfish, and I shouldn't have fought you for that stupid lamp."

"Nope!"Ruby said in classical Ruby fashion, "None of you were at fault here, alright. I get it. Shit happens and we'll meet more bumps on the road that make us want to turn back instead of going forward."

Weiss sighed. "Of course you would say that."

Blake looked a bit more doubtful. "The way we all just broke down. We just gave up on everything we vowed. How do you do it? What makes you go forward?"

"Ichigo had a very good lesson in that from his zanpakuto." Ruby answered, getting an amused look from Ichigo. He knew where this was going.

Ruby spoke in a strong tone. "Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you stop."

Yang, Weiss, Ruby, Oscar, Qrow, and even Maria took a moment to let those heavy words sink into their being. They resonated with so much truth that something sparked in their soul. Ruby could practically see their moral lifted and their resolve reinforced. Her awesome team was back to its awesome self.

Yang spoke. "That was... really good, Ruby. Ichigo really did make something awesome out of you."

"I am awesome like that." Ichigo said.

Ruby snickered, causing the pseudo-shinigami to twitch his eyebrow for a second before turning back to the road. She stopped laughing in confusion when Ichigo's twitch turned into a smirk. Then, she only realized when she felt a slight tap hit from his extra appendage of his lizard tail. Her head stung for a moment and Ruby gave a cute pout to Ichigo but only made his grin wider. Ruby returned her own smile, so warm it could melt ice. The atmosphere was near in perfect serenity. Nothing could break-

"Well, this has been quite a 'blast'." Yang joked.

Everyone groaned at Yang's terrible pun. On the record book, that was one of the worst in timing that broke the mood and the level of how lame it was that made people want to die, some of them again.

"Oh come on, that was comedy gold." Yang whined.

"No, that was not." Ichigo cut in, "Yare yare, if I had a hit list of people I wanted dead, I could just send you their names and tell you they want to hear your jokes."

Now that got a chorus of laughter from everyone present. Only Yang was left too shocked that they were all laughing after Ichigo just spouted a few insults at her. She felt her self-esteem in her self-proclaimed title of master of comedy take a huge dent. The blonde turned back to a smug Ichigo and leveled a red-eyed glare.

"For that, you are not allowed to drive anymore on my ride." Yang said.

Ichigo shrugged it off before stopping the motorcycle to switch with Yang.

"Jealous much?" Ruby said with a shit-eating grin.

Yang only scoffed and frowned at the pseudo-shinigami's smug look. Once Ichigo took a sit on the side of cart next to Ruby and Ren, the motorcycle continued on its lost path.

"I shouldn't be surprised anymore by you, Ruby Rose." said Maria, "You come back from the dead, have powers beyond human imagination, and can blow up towns like there nothing. What's next, you have silver eyes?"

Ruby widened said eyes in surprise. "Yeah actually I do."

Maria's artificial eyes stared at Ruby and her mouth gaped like a fish out of water. The elderly woman decided to keep her mouth shut because it was proven that Ruby was endless in her surprises.

"How do you know about the silver eyes?" asked Qrow.

"Well," Maria said, putting on a sad smile, "I used to have silver eyes as well."

* * *

(After Maria's Backstory)

"My god." Qrow gasped, "You're the Grim Reaper. You were a legend. And you disappeared. We never used your, and you never showed your face. Most of us thought you were laying low. Eventually, we all thought you were dead. But the stories about you. I even based my weapon off of you. I wanted to be as good as the Grim Reaper."

"Then you are well on your way to becoming a disappointment in my footsteps." Maria sulked.

"How can you say that?" asked Blake.

"Child," said Maria, "a Huntress is supposed to protect the people. But after I lost my eyes and had my surgery, I only looked after myself because I was too afraid to fight. You shouldn't aspire to be like me."

"You're right." said Ruby, gaining shocked looks from most of the passengers, "We can't be like you. We have to be better than you."

Maria looked at Ruby for a few seconds before a genuine smile stretched her face. The eyes of Ruby betrayed a power greater than Maria could ever imagine in her prime.

"It's comforting to know that you are stronger than I am to protect this world." Maria said. "I'm just sorry I didn't leave it in better shape."

"Don't blame yourself about the past." Ruby consoled, "You did the best you could and a feat not many could do. And you can still do more. That is why I would like to ask you to teach me about my eyes. I've only advanced a little bit to project my light into an outside force, but you know so much more about my eyes than I still do."

"It would be my pleasure." Maria agreed.

Yang's scroll started to ring. Full well knowing the laws of the road, Yang tossed the scroll to Weiss. On the translucent screen was a picture of a blonde teenager in knight's gear with the name "Vomit Boy" on the bottom, which Senna snickered at However, Ruby and Ren widened their eyes at the photo.

Weiss gasped aloud. "I-It's Jaune!"

Yang put the brakes on the bike so Weiss could easily talk to Jaune. When Weiss answered, Jaune's voice was so loud that everybody on the cart could hear it.

"Weiss!" Jaune exclaimed, "Oh thank god. I've been checking your scroll ever since we arrived at the city."

"The city?" wondered Blake.

"I think he means that." Ichigo noted, outstretching his finger. "I feel a lot of people nearby."

The passengers followed Ichigo's pointed finger to a hill just on the horizon. Yang grinned as she put the pedal to the metal.

"Meet us at the gate." said Weiss to the scroll, "You are not going to believe who we found out there."

* * *

(Argus, Behind the Wall)

It wasn't much trouble getting through the gates. There were only guards stationed on the walls, but none of them checked for anything like identification for the crowed that was pouring in. Once inside, Yang rented a garage to store her motorcycle, and they waited for Jaune and Nora.

"CUTE BOY OZ!"

Nora's screech was a beacon for everyone to go to. Team SIRR hid in the crowd to give the duo of NJ a surprise. After Nora occupied herself hugging down the poor boy Oscar, Jaune entered the fray giving relieved hugs to the rest of the gang.

"We were so worried." said Jaune, then turning into a grimace, "Never leave me alone with Nora. Without Ren..."

Jaune cut himself off to put down his sorrow of Ren's loss. WBY, Oscar, and Qrow gave him a sad look for the trauma they were all put through from that. That sadness turned into a small smile as they heard the approaching shinigami.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore."

Jaune and Nora snapped their heads to the direction of the all-too familiar voice of Ruby. They didn't care about the pain of whiplash when they laid eyes on a very alive Ruby and Ren. Compared to two months ago, the deceased pair were now more built with Ruby having longer hair and Jaune could have sworn Ruby grew a few inches taller. Ren was mostly like himself, only that his sleeves were bare with only this linen wrapped tightly around his arms that seemed just a bit more bulkier but still lean.

Nora for once was at a loss for words, her eyes wide and staring at Ren. Her childhood friend was standing before her. She hid it, but that night when Ren was ashes, she was broken. Her energetic personality may as well died with him until now.

"Ruby..." Jaune muttered.

"Is that really you... Renny?" whimpered Nora.

Senna and Ichigo backed up feeling out of place in this sensitive moment. Feminine sobs made faces cringe as tears were building in Nora's eyes. The most affected was Ren himself, who's usual stone face etched in a guilty grimace at the sight. Before a tear could fall, Ren dashed faster than a shunpo to press Nora to him in a tight hug.

"You don't have to cry." Ren whispered, breaking with emotion that he rarely showed in such quantity, "I'm here for you, Nora. I'll always be there."

"REN!"

THUD!

Ren blinked a few times before Nora returned a hug stronger than his own and was knocked to the floor with Nora crying on top of him. The Kido master allowed Nora to let out all her emotions she had bottled up inside. Ruby and the other Remnanties smiled warmly at the reunion.

After a few minutes, Nora's sobs softened into sniffles as she calmed down. The front of Ren's shirt was wet with her tears, and her eyes were red and puffy. To those that knew her, that didn't seem to fit the image of Nora. The sniffles disappeared as Nora raised her head to gaze at Ren smiling fondly at her. Ren sighed before abruptly holding her gently by her hand and hoisting them both up on their feet. The sudden movement made Nora squeeze against his shirt only to find something like a solid plate.

Quirking an eyebrow, Nora looked at Ren and trailed her eyes just below his neck. She nearly gasped when there wasn't anything under his green shirt. What was supposedly solid covering his chest was his chest. Pure, built muscle to be precise. For the first time in her life, a dust of pink heated up on Nora's cheeks.

"Are you okay, Nora?" Ren asked.

Her only response was to look up at his face with an unreadable expression. Slowly, Nora stretched her hand out to Ren's face and poked him. Then again on his sternum... and again on his neck... then two times on his cheek making him wince.

"Nora, what are you doing?" Ren said in his usual plain tone.

"I'm trying to see if you're a robot and have a hidden button somewhere." Nora answered in a more slightly more energetic way, a.k.a. Nora tone. "It may be you, but it could also be someone got your spirits and stuffed them into robots. You may not even know that you are robots."

Everyone sweatdropped at Nora's statement of suspicion. Ren sighed but it didn't stop the smile that marked his face whenever he looked at Nora.

"I've missed you so much." Ren muttered, but Nora couldn't hear too busy poking him from all sides, "Nora, you can stop. I can safely say I am not a robot."

"Or are you...?" Nora drew out.

Zangetsu added his own two cents. **"I will say it. That chick is officially the weirdest ever."**

 **"She has some screws loose."** added Cristina, **"And that's coming from me."**

Ruby and Ichigo nodded in agreement. The silver eye warrior turned her attention to Jaune. Curious, Ruby stretched her reiatsu senses to gauge his reserves. Her eyes almost fell out once she found his hidden potential.

When Pyrrha said that Jaune had a lot of Aura, Ruby only took it as impressive. However, it didn't do justice to the literal mountain of energy he had locked inside. She hadn't seen reserves this massive since Kenpachi.

"You're really alive." Jaune gasped, "And taller."

"Two months in another world will do that to you." said Ruby.

As Jaune recovered from his shock he could look at Ruby with q clear head. His eyes widened on sight of a pair of wolf ears.

"Uh, why do you have wolf ears?" Jaune asked.

h

Ruby laughes sheepishly. "It's a long story." The Huntress turned her silver eyes to Senna and Ichigo, gesturing them forward.

"Allow me to introduce Senna, a good friend in my travels." Ruby informed to Jaune, "And orange sunshine here is Ichigo."

"Yo!" Senna chirped.

"It's nice to meet a friend of Ruby's." Ichigo greeted.

Jaune quirked a confused eyebrow. "Orange sunshine?"

"Ruby and I," Ichigo said sheepishly, scratching his head, "started dating recently."

"And I'll make sure we have another very soon." Ruby said slightly sultry while trapping his right arm in a vice grip.

"Ruby," Ichigo said flatly, looking at her eyes that he swore were sparkling, "please let go of my arm."

"Okay." Ruby said innocently, only to disappear in a shower of rose petals.

Ichigo stiffened when he felt an even tighter hold on his new tail. He tilted his head back instinctively where his tail raised to see Ruby clinging to the same length of his tail as her height with all four limbs clamped on. She was beaming an innocent smile down at him and Ichigo couldn't choose between scowling or smiling.

Ichigo sighed. "You are not going to let go, are you?"

"Nope!" Ruby chirped. "Mush."

"As you command." Ichigo muttered.

The others watched with mild amusement as Ichigo walked casually while waving his tail in the air getting cheery exclaims from the wolf Faunas. He was surprised that his tail was so strong that he didn't feel such a change in weight. Meanwhile, Ruby was having a blast hanging from Ichigo's tail. Granted there was also another reason for her new antic.

Different dimensions didn't matter to the fact that Ichigo was top tier handsome man. Ever since they entered the city, Ruby could catch other woman of all ages sending dreamy looks to Ichigo. It brought a new feeling to Ruby, something she can only describe as some sharp yet subtle pang on her forehead and her Faunas instincts weren't helping.

By (some strange) logic, Ruby decided to get grapple her boyfriend and doing it in public so every eye could see the pair. So they could all look at her with agitation, sorrow, and jealousy while Ruby shrugged off the glares and retorted with a shit-eating grin highlighting her canines.

In short, Ruby was sending out a very loud message to every female in sight, 'He's mine, bitches, so stay away.'

Among the party, Yang was the only one to notice the signals Ruby was sending out. She couldn't decide between being proud of her baby sis taking a stand or shiver in slight fear of what Ruby would do if the pseudo-shinigami ever mistook Yang for looking at Ichigo like he was eye candy. Possessive Ruby was one scary soul.

The reunited JNP were briefing everyone about the city which Ichigo was paying attention to. It goes by the name of Argus, and is the largest noncapital city in Remnant, and flourishes from trade with Atlas. Ichigo took note that the overall architecture of the streets and buildings reminded him of France and England based on the photos he saw in one of his classes. Light layers of snow coated the roofs, but the air felt strangely warm. Compared to his world, it seemed much more calm as best he could describe.

"I should probably make a date for Ruby here." Ichigo thought outloud.

Unfortunately, Ruby's wolf ears picked up on Ichigo and she blushed her whole face in red. Deciding to switch the topic to distract herself, Ruby looked to Jaune.

"Where have you been staying, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Jaune was reluctant to answer and only scratched his head.

"There you are."

Everyone looked forward to the new voice belonging to a woman in her 20s across the block while holding a brown-skinned baby. Ruby stared at the woman at her alarmingly resemblance to Jaune in her blue eyes and bright blond hair. She was whipping her head between the pair so fast Ichigo was worried she was going to give herself whiplash. Fortunately, Ruby stopped once realization hit her and her eyes sparkled upon the blonde across the street.

"Is that..." Yang trailed off.

"Hi, Saph."

* * *

(Saphron's House)

"I can't believe I'm meeting your older sister." Ruby exclaimed, nearly jumping on the spot of the couch with Ichigo being the only holding down her excitement, "I have so many questions."

Saphron's house was a sizable one, and the addition of those from Earth did not make such a dent since they traditionally sleep on the floor. They were in the family room with JNP sitting on one couch with Saphron. Another couch perpendicular was where Ruby, Oscar, and Maria sat with Ichigo, Qrow, and Blake standing behind them. At their feet were Weiss, Yang, and Senna playing with the baby. Currently, Jaune was in an episode of embarrassment trying to keep his dignity with his older sister being - well his older sister. Only Ichigo had the sense to quietly pity the blonde Huntsmen.

"I can give you the rundown later." said Nora.

"Will you guys knock it off!?" Jaune exclaimed.

"What?" Saphron said, "I love telling stories about my baby brother."

Saphron tried to pinch Jaune's cheeks, only for him to slap it away in a clumsy frenzy. "I am not a baby." Jaune pointed to the real baby. " _That_ is a baby."

Said baby gave him a quizzical look before showing his intelligence by folding his arms in front of his chest and scowling. The sight made Ruby burst in laughter and lean against the arm of the couch.

"Look at that!" Ruby cried, glancing to Ichigo while her sides ached, "He's a mini Ichigo. Just look at the scowl on his face. Ha-ha-ha-ha."

Ichigo glanced at the frown (he will never admit that was a scowl) and his brow twitched feeling his pride take a dent by being compared to a baby. The baby was actually giving his so-called scowl to Ichigo.

"I do not scowl like that." Ichigo berated.

That only made Ruby laugh more as the baby narrowed his glare at the orange head. His agitation showed itself as his tail started banging on the floor at a rapid pace. None of them took notice, especially Senna, Yang, and Weiss who were cooing at the baby.

"So Saphron," said Blake, "you're the only Arc living here?"

"Yeah, moved the second I could." Saphron answered.

Ichigo looked to Blake's line of sight and his eyes widened on a photo of a lot of blonde kids on a couch with the mother standing behind them. It was obvious who Jaune was given the flat look and the sign he was holding that read 'Help'.

'Kami, I pity you.' Ichigo thought. How Jaune wasn't as crazy as Zangetsu he will never know.

The door of the house opened and in walked another woman in a teal coat and blue pants and red-tinted glasses. She was carrying a shopping bag of groceries and Ichigo noticed the same wedding ring on her finger that Saphron had.

'Huh, a lesbian couple.' thought Ichigo, 'I don't think there are any in Karakura Town. Except maybe Keigo... great now I've scarred myself for life.'

"Everyone," Saphron introduced, "meet my wife, Terra Cotta."

"Hello everyone." Terra greeted, and everyone voiced in greeting as well with some giving a simple bow of the head, "Honey, could I get some help please."

Saphron gestured to JNP to help Terra in the kitchen to prepare lunch. In a little while, the wedded couple returned to the family room.

"Are you really okay allowing us to stay?" Senna asked.

"Of course." Terra answered, "You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It is the least we could do, especially for an elite Huntsmen. Though I am surprised that you have brought students along in your journey. Is that even... legal?"

When Qrow didn't answer, Ichigo and Ruby gave a nod to each other and smacked hard on top of his head and jolting him back to the conversation. That single blow took off quite a bit of his Aura too.

"Yes it is legal." Qrow said, "Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me I was a professor from the same school."

"Oh yeah." Ruby interrupted with a smirk, "Who knew someone could still teach when they were half-drowned in booze."

Qrow glared at Ruby, who shrugged it off, then turned to Ichigo. "I hate you for giving her a sharp tongue."

"Shut up, there's food." Ruby called, her lips parting with a slight slimy drool and her tongue dancing over her canines. Her eyes were glued with feral hunger on the pile of sandwiches. Her wolf nose could smell the scent of meat from them.

Ichigo didn't know what was going on with him. He hasn't in a while, but that didn't explain this alien sense to devour the food that was coming off of him. Just the smell of the meat was driving him on edge, and his tail waved in slow motions as though he was on the hunt. Unconsciously, Ichigo was letting out a soft hiss.

Zangetsu and Cristina were breaking their ribs from laughter at seeing their hosts struggle to keep down their instincts.

"I know you can eat regular food." Terra informed. "But I couldn't help myself buying some Faunas food ingredients that I know you'll love. If I recall..."

Ichigo and Ruby stopped listening when they reached for two sandwiches each and wolfed them down. While the Huntress was humming a merry tune, Ichigo was keeping in his reaction to the flavor that was getting his senses on fire in a good way. This was better than Yuzu's cooking.

"Whatever the heck is in this, it's really good." Ichigo complimented.

"So what's your plan tomorrow?" Saphron asked Ruby.

Even though she just stuffed two whole sandwiches, now counting ten, in her mouth, Ruby managed to swallow it all down without a problem while her wolf ears were perked up in ecstasy from the taste alone.

"We're trying to make our way to Atlas." said Ruby, "We will probably start with the military base."

Jaune and Nora grimaced at the sentence.

"Ah, we kinda already tried that." Jaune said, "and it didn't go super well."

"C'mon," said Yang, "it couldn't be that bad."

* * *

(Military Base)

The party stood before the Atlesian Military Base, only for the gates to close shut just on sight of them. A few moments of silence until an oppressive presence caught most of the groups attention. They turned to the source only to find Ruby with a red aura bursting off of her and a glare that could put a hole through the planet. Very pissed off silver eyes gazed at Yang.

"Yang." Ruby snarled.

"Yeah?" Yang said nevously.

"Shut - up!" Ruby said making sure those two words cleaved through like rusty blades.

"I'm sorry." whimpered Yang. The blonde was deeply regretting ever being such a bad influence on her little sister.

* * *

 **Goddammit Yang, why did you have to jinx us?! Is it enough that you torture us with your puns?! When will you learn?**

 **On a side note, how she Team SIRR approach the situation. In my personal opinion, they should just go on a rampage, but lets keep it tame. Maybe they may stick longer in Argus because of a shopkeeper.**

 **Up next is Chapter 34: Unhappy Parties**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review. I love you all.**


	34. Unhappy Parties

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 34: Unhappy Parties**

In frustration, Yang took hold of the bars and shook them to somehow magically tear them off without consequence. The pair of guards, if some could call them that by the funny hats they wore that made them more like a light comedy duo, were undeterred. Either they were well disciplined or maybe they needed more convincing through her red eyes.

"Our orders are clear." said the left guard, "The Mistral-Atlas border is closed."

The right one spoke. "Please-"

"-have a good day."

"But-" Yang tried to say something at least.

"A good day!" the guards declared.

"What world is weirder, yours or mine?" Ichigo asked Ruby.

"At this point, I can't even be surprised." Ruby answered. When someone meets Hollows that rip apart dimensions, a universe made from a single tree, and a maniac capable of shrugging off impalation like it turns him on, rarely anything is surprising. Meeting two guards who are very eccentric is a nice dose of sanity that Ruby and Ichigo may or may have lost.

"Hey, if you don't believe that I'm friends with Ironwood," said Qrow.

"General Ironwood." corrected the guards.

"Yeah whatever." Qrow shrugged it off, "But look we have Weiss Schnee with us and were trying to get her back home safely."

The guards took long glances at themselves and switching to Weiss. The stares felt they were lasting hours with how they slowly leaned to study Weiss despite the iron bars that separated them. After the weird staring, the guards stood straight and marched to the back of the base.

"That was weird." Blake noted.

"No crap." Ruby agreed.

"Hmm..." Maria mused.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked.

"It's just," said Maria reluctantly, "I may know the commanding officer here."

"That's good, right?" said Senna, "If she is your friend, maybe she can help us."

"Not friends." Maria said.

"Let me guess." Ichigo said, "You and this officer are enemies so to speak."

"Yep, that's it." Maria perked up. "Ah yes, I come through here once every ten years to get my eyes checked up in Atlas. You bring outside cashews on one flight and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!"

Ichigo groaned while lightly banging his forehead on the pommel of Zangetsu. "Why can't things be simple in my life?"

Ruby grinded her teeth in shared pain with Ichigo, her wolf ears twitching a storm. Of course, everything in her life being the center of all of the world's problems just has to make her life difficult on each and every step. She just wants one day from this shit.

"Now, now, let's not give up hope yet." Maria encouraged, "... Maybe she's dead."

"I will gladly make that possible if it makes everything easier." Ruby proposed, her hand resting on the handle of her zanpakuto and her fury etching a grin of Cristina's make. Suddenly, everyone had a vision of a pale, red-eyed clone of Ruby standing beside her with a grin splitting her face, only to disappear for a second.

"I'll hold you to that." said Maria.

The gates of the base snapped open and the guards stood there yet again.

"Introducing," spoke the pair of guards in sync, "Special Operative Caroline Cordovin."

Much to the praise and respect from the soldiers, their superior was none other than a dwarf of a woman with grey hair and an expression that screamed, 'I am better than you'. Ichigo was a bit surprised that the Cordovin was even shorter than Rukia. Senna was wondering just how such a small person could command those guards like pups. Cordovin and Maria stared down at each other for a few tense seconds.

"Witch." said Cordovin.

"She-Devil." Maria retorted.

"How about bitch?" Ruby added.

"Really Ruby?" Yang said.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself at the shrimp for a commander." Ruby snickered, her grin only widening at the fuming dwarf, "Tell me, is the stick through your ass taller than you?"

Cordovin chose to take a deep breath instead of snapping at the Huntress. Weiss pulled Ruby aside to her teammates clearly a very tense at Ruby's attitude.

"What are you doing?" Weiss hissed.

"Trust me, I already know this isn't going to work." Ruby said, "I just need to get her down a few pegs."

"For once, I really think this is a bad idea." said Yang.

"I said the same to the my master who taught me all I knew, and she proved me wrong." Ruby said, "If it doesn't work, I have other... fun methods to try, so enjoy the show."

"You civilians cannot comprehend the importance of our mission here in Argus." said Cordovin, "So let me say this slowly. This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the great Kingdom of Atlas. And it is my duty to uphold them as they see fit for only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

"Such wit."

"Such tenacity."

"Such suck ups." Senna called, "If this is what you have for soldiers, then Argus doesn't need their so-called protection with all these clowns."

"How dare you!" Cordovin snapped, "You are just like all those Argus ingrates. This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the mercy of Atlesian ancestors, and we do we get in return?! The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats."

"Maybe they should." Ichigo interrupted, accosting to Cordovin while producing a heavy Aura, "So far, these 'ingrates' as you call them have all the sense to complain about you because what I see is some bully with more power than they should throwing them around like they own them. Perhaps the city would be better without you if this is what the might of Atlas gives to people."

Cordovin's suck-ups were quivering under the oppressive aura Ichigo was producing. To the dwarf's credit, Cordovin kept her face from revealing her fear despite her cold sweating.

"You insufferable civilian." Cordovin exclaimed, "Atlas is strong. If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy then so be it. Atlas will prevail!"

Cordovin froze at the dark chuckle coming from Ruby. As the Huntress approached, Ruby allowed a bit of Hollow reiatsu in the air to give off dread. Her presence felt cold yet furious at the same time.

"Such arrogance." Ruby said in fake applaud, "I wonder if that's a speech they drill in your head at the academy. You claim to be the best in the world when you could do nothing at Beacon. Your so-called mighty machines fell, not by Grimm hordes or an army. All that technology was made useless by a simple Scroll and a virus not only taking them offline but turning against all the people. You want to make an enemy of everyone?"

The world stood still when not even a millisecond, Ruby was behind Cordovin and her lips were several inches away from the officer's ear. Her very presence sent horrible chill through Cordovin like she was at the mercy of the devil. She had no hold on her life, and her fate rested in Ruby's hands instead.

"Try me!" Ruby hissed.

None of the Atlesians moved as Ruby casually walked back to the party, who had bulging eyes at Ruby of her... disturbing display. The Remnanties just stared at her wiping the floor with their jaws.

"We'll think about our next course of action." said Ruby without turning around, "I suggest you... be more cooperative until then. Ja ne."

The bit with Ichigo's language was a bit of the icing on the cake. The Atlesians were left gaping like fish and still as statues. SIR followed Ruby, and the rest came reluctantly. Halfway down the water bridge Weiss scowled and accosted up to Ruby.

"What the heck were you doing, Ruby?" Weiss exclaimed, "Your... antagonizing just lost us our chance to get to Atlas. And it certainly doesn't help with the image of Faunas."

Ruby shrugged off Weiss' rant. "From the moment we got there, I knew she was never going to allow any of us to go Atlas. Heck, I believe she would've kicked anyone who was a Faunas, with or without the embargo."

"Then why were you doing - whatever you were doing?!" said Blake.

"Call it a way to be more persuasive." Ruby answered with a grin. "Maybe she'll allow us to talk tomorrow."

"Are you sure it isn't because you're a sadist?" said Yang. There was no agitation in her voice. In hindsight, Yang had a feeling Ruby had a darker side to her. How could she construct Crescent Rose without such a vivid imagination?

Ichigo spoke before Ruby could retort. "You were enjoying way too much there, Ruby. I am not going to leave you alone with Yoruichi. Ever."

"Okay." Ruby admitted with a pout, "So maybe I was just a _little_ intense there. At least I didn't decide to blow down a tower. Or two."

"It is more believable you would just blast a crater in the middle of the base." Ren spoke.

"Traitor!" Ruby accused.

"Can't be a traitor if he's back on his team." Nora said. Unfortunately, she was right. "Besides, we got Ozpin."

RWBY, Qrow, Oscar, Ren, and the shinigami cringed at that moment.

"Uh, we'll talk about that at the house." said Senna.

There was only silence as the party returned to Saph's home. JNR, Oscar, and Qrow entered first. RWBY was soon to follow, but Ruby was stopped by Ichigo.

"Hey Ruby." said Ichigo, "When was the last time you slept?"

The odd question caught confused looks from RWBY.

"What do you mean?" said Ruby.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "As I recall, you were sparring with Senna all night yesterday, the same day that we arrived back. So that would mean..."

"Uh... I sleep fight?" Ruby answered sheepishly.

Ichigo sighed. "You've been awake for over 24 hours since we got here."

Ruby pouted. "I can still go on. I have tons of-"

Ruby didn't get to answer as Ichigo's tail wrapped around her figure and the group proceeded into the house. No one came to Ruby's rescue even as she protested.

"Being raised in a clinic, you learn some important stuff, especially if your dad is the doctor there." said Ichigo, carefully lowering his tail so Ruby didn't bump into the ceiling, "Like the symptoms of lack of sleep, such as irritation, hallucinations, loss of energy, etc."

"Real cute, Ichi-kun." Ruby bantered, "It was only one night, alright."

"You say that." said Ichigo, going up the stairs to one of the spare beds, "But my paranoia tells me that the last thing I want is you as cranky as I am when Goat-chin decides to attack every damn second. So sleep. Doctor's orders."

Ruby would have continued her protest if she wasn't dropped on a bed. Ichigo kept his tail wrapped around her waist while he pulled up the blankets to her neck. He pulled up a chair and took a seat next to the bed, retorting Ruby's glare with an emotionless face.

"C'mon, Ichigo." Ruby whined, "We stayed awake in Soul Society."

"Correction." Ichigo rebutted, "Half of the time we were unconscious from getting our asses kicked."

"...Fair point." Ruby admitted.

"Just relax and you'll be asleep sooner than you'll know." Ichigo said.

Ruby visibly released whatever tension she had in a long sigh. The effects were immediate; her eyelids started to droop and her movements were sluggish.

"You're annoying," said Ruby, pausing in a cute yawn, "but I still love you."

In the next ten seconds, Ruby surrendered to the bliss of sleep. Ichigo didn't realize the soft smile playing on his face, and his brown eyes were locked on peace he could only describe as overflowing off of her. Slowly, Ichigo withdrew his tail and quietly exited the room to leave the Huntress to her dreams. Dreams that he wished he could join.

His thoughts were cut off when standing right outside the door was Yang. Ichigo stiffened from the analyzing gaze of the blonde while in constant fear of those eyes flashing red. After what felt like hours, Yang smiled fondly and walked away like nothing happened at all. The hybrid let out a breath that could've been his last.

Ichigo went to his own borrowed room, and settled his mind to clear.

 _'Zangetsu, any word on the old man?'_ Ichigo asked.

 _ **'Nada.'**_ Zangetsu answered, _**'He's been here as long as I have, but he sure knows how to hide. Cristina hasn't done any luck on her side too.'**_

Ichigo sighed and left the connection to Zangetsu. Sometimes he wished Kisuke was here give something. Anything right now.

* * *

(Karkura Town, Kisuke's Shop)

Kisuke Urahara, former Captain of Squad 12 and Head of Research and Development, and self-titled greatest genius in all of Soul Society was having the worse day in his existence. It all started when Team SIRR completely disappeared off the grid. As in nowhere to follow. Not Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, or even his secret smut stash.

Yoruichi immediately came to him for answers where her favorite prude and her, as quote, cute Rose-chan were. Kisuke, wisely or not depending on one's perspective, chose to initially keep quiet. Unfortunately, silence didn't satisfy the Flash Goddess as her smile turned too sweet to be good and the aura that men fear pushed down upon him. He squeaked that Ruby and Ichigo turned into Vasto Lordes and as far as he knew disappeared into a Garganta with Ren and Senna. He hoped his honest answer would bring him mercy.

It did not. No sir, it did not. There was no smile and Kisuke could only fathom was pain before blacking out from head trauma. Mind you when he woke up, there was a lot of blood and last time he checked the little hand of the clock wasn't supposed to be that far across. Yoruichi demanded that he bring them back, with emphasis on "now".

Kisuke was sure nothing was worse than Yoruichi's wrath, but nooo he had to be wrong again. Before that day even ended, the Vizards were at the shop with their demands for Ruby and Ichigo's return for two reasons. One, they were Vizards and considered family, and two because Kisuke put those two up to the ordeal of becoming Vizards in the first place. He was thankful they didn't hit him, but their glares would pierce heaven and their hands were a bit itchy on the hilt of their zanpakuto. Even sweet Mashiro was giving him the cold shoulder.

In short terms, Kisuke was being carried off in a ferocious shit storm.

Currently, he was situated with a frame of a Senkaimon, this one oval in shape and made of metallic materials. Cables and wiring were littered around his feet and somehow all connecting to a pedestal at his feet where lay the bubble of Ren's spiritual energy. Under his bucket hat, his blonde hair was trapped in bandages from the beating from Yoruichi and his right leg was in a cast when moments ago it was bending the other way. Fortunately, Yoruichi managed to reign herself in and leave his trusted friends of inventing that are his arms intact.

Now this new gate that Kisuke was making was going to break a lot of the Soul King's rules, which he enjoys doing. He found out that Remnant was situated in a fluid path along the Dangai compared to Soul Society, Earth, and Hueco Mundo are in their close proximity. A gate into the Dangai itself was out of the question. Instead, Kisuke was giddy in the idea of creating a true portal that would literally rip a tear from this dimension to Remnant. The idea came from the incident from the Valley of Screams. So damn the Soul King's rules because to the semi-sane scientists this was too fun to pass up to flip off the lazy bastard and also was an added incentive to not die horribly by Yoruichi.

"C'mon, I'm so close." Kisuke mumbled as he was currently screwing something in the pedestel, "If I can just track the signal... reiryoku is still intact... give me this chance to get one up on you, Kami."

A click sounded and the machine was whirring to life. Quickly, he stationed his zanpakuto to drive in a slot of the pedestal so the blade could create a key seal of sorts used in the same way as the Senkaimon when traveling from Soul Society and back. That way, anyone with a zanpakuto could make a few slashes to travel between realms. A smirk grew to a length that would've split his face as a light grew within the oval structure. A tear in space itself opened, its sides shimmering like shattered glass. His eyes widened in joy seeing the image of an entirely new world. It was only as small as a fingernail but he could see it so clearly.

Kisuke cheered. "YE-"

Before the light collapsed and a massive shockwave blew Kisuke off his feet and skidding against the ground till face met rock. Kisuke spoke muffled curses as he forced himself up. His eyes shot up to the sky burning with rage.

"DAMN YOU!" Kisuke cursed, "THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?! BRING IT. I DON'T CARE AS LONG AS I BREAK ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS RULES, KAMI. THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL BE POSSIBLE!"

"KISUKE!" A shrill screech stopped Kisuke from his made rant and replaced it with fear, "IF YOU'RE CHEERING, THAT MEANS IT IS FINISHED. RIGHT!?"

Sweating bullets, Kisuke managed to shout back in a whimpered tone. "Uh no - but it is a cheer of how... close we are."

There was no response. And no response meant she was either sneaking up on him to kick his ass or reluctantly accepted his excused. Frowning, Kisuke settled back at his latest and most ambitious project, resting his chin on his hand.

'I have to thank you Ren.' Kisuke thought, looking at the spiritual orb filled with green reishi, 'Because of you, I have a goal to discover an entire different universe and as well keep Yoruichi from killing me since you gave me the means to bring you guys back. Just hope no trouble comes to you or your friends on the other side.'

* * *

(Outskirts of Argus)

High in the sky, the air rippled. A tear in the very space-time opened up to a black abyss. Nothing happened after a few seconds before a foot plated in bone like a boot stepped out. Arms followed, also plated with black spiral marks on the hand and shoulder, and the elbows had a sharp jut like a horn curving back to the shoulders. His knees were capped with the same sharp appendage, but all that was left was black skin extending from the mid-thigh to the belly. The upper torso was slightly rigid in bone plates decorated with jagged black stripes. There was nothing in the sternum but a hole. Up to his face was the visage of an oni: a mouth lined with sharp teeth with four fangs protruding out, burning orange pupils peering out of eyes of a mask with gray liner, grey hair reaching below his shoulders in a mangled mess, and two horns curving from his forehead to the back of his head. On his back were four short, but noticeable spines.

This entity gave off malice and terror unlike any this world should experience. For he was a Hollow, a very ancient Hollow that has lived for over 1,500 years. Yet he has never ventured so far into the Dangai and land himself in such an unfamiliar world. His reason was on the trail of two powerful presences. They were also Hollow in nature, but the power they each gave of was grand as he could describe. He only felt such unbridled power from one being only, one he knew all too well when he was an inkling of himself. The terrifying flames that still haunt him, yet still fueled his own wrath of shinigami. Genryusai Yammamoto was his name, and his very presence irked him so much that years later he returned to his realm of heaven to kill consume a few of his precious captains just to spit him.

But these two were different, but he wouldn't run. No, he would hunt them down and consume them, thus giving him the power to not only topple Soul Society but every realm in existence. Yammamoto will fall, and his rival Barragan will beg him for mercy..

Turning away from those thoughts, the Hollow sniffed the air for that reiatsu. There wasn't a strong trail but it was still there. But two other scents put a scowl on his face. He could never forget that scent, not since he bathed and drank the very blood of it.

"Shinigami Captains." said the Hollow in a surprisingly even voice, but the hiss was still present. A smile stretched behind his mask to match the grin it displayed. He walked on the air, taking the scent of such wonderful and delicious reiatsu saturated in the air. This world was a goldmine. A whole world of humans with even higher reiatsu and there were only a few shinigami present. Not enough to defeat him, and not very difficult to dispose of quickly.

"Time to feast on shinigami once again." the Hollow hissed before disappearing in a buzz of static.

It was the warning that a Vasto Lorde has come to Remnant.

* * *

 **Yay, I finally got this chapter done. Yoruichi isn't happy that Kisuke lost her favorite students and is giving him the right motivation for such a task of bringing them back. Now, an unknown Vasto Lorde has entered Remnant as well, attracted by the scent of reiatsu from the Vasto Lordes of Ichigo and Ruby. Remnant, ready or not, has just gotten itself beyond in mortal affairs.**

 **Up next is Chapter 35.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**

 **I forgot to mention this, but I cannot believe that this story has reached over 300 followers! Thank you so much!**


	35. Reconnecting

**Disclaimer: I do** **not** **own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple –** **why not?**

 **Chapter 35: Reconnecting**

"Uh, what are they doing?" That was the question Yang asked when the group of WBY and JNR saw Ichigo and Ruby in the family room sitting on the couch in a meditation stance. They were absolutely still like statues and not even made a whisper, but their chest ever so slightly rose and fell. If they squinted their eyes, they could see a faint glow around their body, blue for Ichigo and silver for Ruby. Their zanpakuto were rested on their legs and held down by their hands.

Ren answered. "It is called jinzen, a very important art of meditation for death gods. It acts as a passive exercise to hone one's spiritual pressure in both power and control, but its main purpose is to enter their mindscape and communicate with their zanpakuto."

"Wait." Yang exclaimed with wide eyes, "Are you saying those blades are alive?! Sounds like Ruby's dream come true."

"A zanpakuto isn't a tool." Ren explained, "It is the reflection of the wielder, and they form a bond of partnership unlike anything else. Each person has their own unique zanpakuto, and there are never two that are the same. In rare cases, they may have two such as mine, Kakushifokkusu."

"What does he look like?" Nora asked.

Ren was a bit reluctant to answer. "...A little fox pup with white and orange fur and six tails."

'That's just adorable.' That was the common thought of the Remnanties in the room.

"So why exactly are they meditating?" Weiss asked, taking note of the slight downward shifts of frowning on Ruby's lips.

"From what Ichigo has told me, they actually have a second spirit being their Inner Hollow." Ren explained, and WBY, Qrow, and Oscar felt a chill run down their spines from the memory of Ruby pulling up her mask, "These two are very unique in every sense of the word. Perfect hybrids is what I can describe them as, but I digress. Apparently, they are trying to find their original zanpakuto spirits that somehow disappeared in their mindscape."

Blake raised a brow. "How does a part of you hide in their own mind?"

Ren shrugged. "Ask them then."

"Might as well wait till they wake up to discuss a plan to get to Atlas." Oscar said as he set himself on a couch. Last night, Jaune snapped at Oscar in suspicion he knew of the lies Ozpin was hiding. Most of the party of Huntsmen went out to Argus to search for him only to come back to Saph's house where he returned after some kind of soul-searching, and now carried a new air of confidence. He now wore a green coat trailing down below his knees, tan cargo pants, brown boots, and a white shirt with a box.

"Where is Qrow by the way?" Ren asked.

Yang had a sour look on her face. "Our 'dedicated' uncle has decided to pass out drunk upstairs."

"Perhaps it can't be helped for now." Ren said with a sigh.

"Welp." Senna yelped and jumped to the door, "I am going to go for a walk and see what the tiny hag is doing. See if I can find a chink in the armor so to say."

The door shut with an audible click, and they could hear slight humming from the amber-eyed teenager. Her mind initially may have gone to scouting at the Atlas base, but as far as Ren knew she could've switched to shopping.

And thank whatever higher power that existed Yang or Nora didn't go with her. This town would be run dry if that were to happen. A level ten Grimm attack wouldn't even compare to the long-term effects.

* * *

(Ichigo's Mindscape)

Ichigo relaxed finding himself in the familiar scenery of the forest of horizontal skyscrapers, and he himself defying gravity by standing on the wall of the building. Off to another building behind him was the real Zangetsu... sitting in a chair while waiting for a television to turn on without the static.

"I am not even going to ask." Ichigo deadpanned.

Zangetsu gave his usual devil's grin revealing his yellow teeth behind the black lips. **"I've got to do something. It gets soo~ boring in here. And now you've stopped the wonderful show cause you're in here."**

"Is that how see what's going on?" Ichigo said a bit more surprised.

 **"Duh."** Zangetsu retorted with a look that screamed 'it's obvious'. **"Ever since we arrived at this place, it's been the best show I've seen in forever. But now you turned it all and I'm bored."**

"What do you want then?" Ichigo asked in an agitated tone.

 **"I want a fight!"** Zangetsu declared, **"I may be your zanpakuto, but I'm still a Hollow so it is my job to keep your instincts in shape."**

"Troublesome, but I think I'll manage." Ichigo said.

 **"One more thing."** Zangetsu added, **"I want out, just for a bit."**

"Yeah, you're definitely insane if you think I am actually going to let you use my body." Ichigo said, narrowing his gaze upon Zangetsu.

 **"I don't mean like that."** Zangetsu said, rolling his eyes at his wielder's ignorance, **"All I'm asking is you let me out for just a little bit on the outside. All shinigami of captain level can project their zanpakuto spirit in the real world for a short time. That way, I can enjoy a fight that isn't in the same place."**

Ichigo put in some deep thought in Zangetsu's request. It didn't seem bad since as insane and violent Zangetsu was, he was still his zanpakuto, thus a part of him and as such wouldn't hurt anybody close to him. At his worst, Zangetsu would probably just destroy something, like leaving a crater from a spar, as long as Ichigo kept those from the public.

"I'll think about it." Ichigo answered.

Zangetsu shrugged off the answer. It was the best he was going to get.

"Now then," Ichigo mused, focusing on his original goal, "where the heck is the old man?"

Zangetsu sighed. **"You are still an idiot, you know that? Remember the thing with the ribbons."**

Ichigo glanced at the Hollow zanpakuto with a twitching eyebrow before both of them rose in realization. Jeez, why didn't he think of that earlier?! He knew he was bad at sensing stuff, but he knew it was worth a shot. In fact, he may even have a better chance than Zangetsu since he is technically them while the Hollow is merely a part of Ichigo's soul.

Just like when Ichigo first found his shinigami powers, he concentrated on the spiritual energy in his mindscape. Instantly, the air was filled with flying ribbons, most of them being white. To Zangetsu, his ribbon was red with stripes of black, which indicated his Hollow side. Ichigo peered in the horde of white ribbons blocking his view, but a normal human could only see white as far as the eye could see.

One ribbon that was seemingly like all the rest caught Ichigo's interest. It automatically flew to his hand as he outstretched it. At first glance, it was like all the rest, but Ichigo was not the regular folk. His eyes squinted on the ribbon and a smile crossed his face. Very faint were lines of red and blue, for Quincy.

'Found you old man.' Ichigo thought before disappearing in shunpo to the source.

If there was an end to his mindscape, Ichigo probably found it. Once he reappeared out of super speeds, he noticed there weren't as many towers around and eventually ended to a white void. However, in that white void was a black mass in a spherical shape just below, surrounded by dark clouds dropping down rain. The pseudo-shinigami couldn't sense anything from the darkness, like there was nothing there. That was probably the trick Juha Bach was going for. Evidently, it almost worked except with the spirit ribbon.

Ichigo didn't hesitate to leap off the horizontal skyscraper into the black mass. A thought came to his mind that it was solid and his legs would break on contact. Those doubts were mercilessly crushed before Ichigo's body sunk through the dark veil into whatever lay hidden.

Ichigo's vision was temporarily blurred by sudden light. Sunlight to be exact, yet it was not the same in the real world. When his eyes cleared, Ichigo found himself at both the happiest and saddest place he could be: the river. The very same river he always passed as a kid, and where his mother died. In the "sky", the sun was just a pale orb of white light, and the clear sky couldn't mask the drops of rain from outside.

Hearing that gave Ichigo a hint of emptiness and his lips turned into a frown. He really hated the rain.

Standing at the very edge, looking up at the white sun was the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers, Juha Bach.

"Hello, Ichigo." Juha Bach said without emotion, "You've really have grown since you've managed to find me."

"...You know why I'm here." Ichigo said.

A thick silence grew between the pair. The sound of the rainfall seemed to echo without anyone speaking.

"Do you hate me, Ichigo?" Juha Bach broke the silence. "Do you hate me for holding back your power. Power that you could've used to prevent so much suffering as you have sought out to?"

Ichigo could only sigh. "I don't what to feel anymore."

The orange-head lazily sat on the ground. He really couldn't know what to feel or even do. His mind was in a storm of a million things. So many emotions all at once with their own range of questions. Should he be angry at all? Should he vent out his rage in shouts, only for it all to be pointless in the end? Should he feel sad that he didn't have the power to do better than he did and right whatever mistakes he made?

So many questions, yet Ichigo had no answer to them. But it was only his emotions, and for right now he could put those aside.

"I really don't know what to feel." Ichigo said, "But I do know this. If I had all of the power from the very start, I know a lot of things may have been different. I know that Rukia would never had been taken back to Soul Society. Maybe I could've stopped Aizen completely from getting away with the Hogyoku while he plans only Kami knows. But yet if I had all of that power... I probably wouldn't have met Ruby at all." A warm smile plastered on Ichigo's face as he looked up to the pale sun that seemed to brighten in the memories and emotions of the Huntress. "No amount of power will never amount to that."

Juha Bach's own lips slightly curled upwards in shared feeling. He knew all too well how much of a beacon of light that Ruby Rose had become for Ichigo. They both drive each other, pushing the other passed any obstacle in their way. In light of this, the rain from outside seemed to lessen into a heavy drizzle.

"So what will you do now?" Juha Bach asked.

"I want you fight by my side again." Ichigo announced, getting wide eyes from the Quincy spirit, "You are not just a part of me. You're also a part of my mother as well, and I will cherish all that she left me. I wish to know this side of me. We can take it slow for now if you want."

Juha Bach turned his head till he could see Ichigo's face from the corner of his eye. There was no lie in his brown eyes, only the absolute truth as usual.

"Very well, Ichigo." Juha Bach agreed, turning to face Ichigo, "You are right. Quincy, shinigami, and even Hollow must fight as one through you. I'll teach you all I can, but I cannot promise everything upon demand. Even the very spirit of the Quincy is limited in teaching of the art."

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm not going to cry about it. But if it's not too much trouble... If you're from my mom, could you tell anything about her?"

Juha Bach smiled. "There isn't really that much that you don't know. Well, for a Quincy, you're mother was very open-minded and was very open to her opinions to others, especially to her foster parents and Ryuken."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "I know I've heard that name before - ! Holy shit, isn't that Goat-chin's colleague!? He's a Quincy too!"

"Indeed." Juha Bach confirmed, "You've already met his son."

"Ishida..." Ichigo mumbled, "So if mom and Ryuken knew each other, what does that mean?"

"In technical terms, you are cousins." Juha Bach said.

"Don't know how feel being related to stick-ass." Ichigo muttered, "Anything else?"

"Not really." said Juha Bach, "I can only say that Masaki has always lived up to her kind spirit, even willing to abandon her guardians to help a shinigami's life. That in turn brought her to your father."

"What does Goat-chin have to do with this?" Ichigo said.

"It is not my place to say." Juha Bach said, "When you return to Karakura, confront your father and everything will be made clear."

"Of course." Ichigo said, "I guess I should go now. Don't get yourself cooped up in here or I'll have to drag you out myself."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Ichigo." Juha Bach replied with a smile, watching as Ichigo's body faded away. "Very soon Ichigo, you'll call on the power of all three spiritual beings, and I promise I will be there to help you on your way. Because you are a protector."

* * *

(Real World)

Ichigo opened his eyes and almost fell over the couch by how Nora was looking at him. Thankfully, Nora jumped back at the exact same time to give the pseudo-shinigami breathing space. Once he did, he then took a full look around the room that was filled with all of the Huntresses with Ren and Oscar.

"Were you all just staring at me the whole time?" Ichigo deadpanned.

"It does stir up a scene when someone is sitting in the middle of the family room." Weiss said.

"I think that whatever you were doing was important." Blake noted.

'At least someone kinda gets it.' thought Ichigo.

A strong arm pulled him out of his position and it was only by his trained reflexes that he didn't lose his footing and trip. He looked to where Yang's robotic arm was gripping on his own right arm.

"Hey, I have to make sure you don't doze off again." Yang said in her cheerful tone, "Now all we have to do is wait for Ruby to wake up so we can get on with the master plan Jaune and Oscar are cooking up."

"Goddammit!" Ruby growled as she abruptly awoke from her jinzen meditation with her wolf ears twitching up a storm.

"And the gang is all here!" Yang cheered.

Ruby had a scowl (again, Ichigo's fault) on her face not even batting an eyelash at the small crowd that she suddenly awoke to. She closed her eyes and went into a breathing exercise to calm herself down. The bristling frustration disappeared in an instant leaving Ruby a little blue.

"What happened?" Ichigo asked.

"I can't find her anywhere." Ruby huffed out, "Even Cristina has no idea where she is. Maybe Mazarozu is still upset at me that I snapped at her. I just hope she isn't too hurt.

Ruby's face took on a teary-eyed, yet cute look of regret and hurt. A few seconds of agonizing silence and Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder, and her ears stiffened to attention and looked up to Ichigo.

"Just give her time." Ichigo consoled, "She needs some space, and we both know that you don't hate her."

"Right!" Ruby instantly perked up to the comforting words. Her face made a megawatt smile and her eyes shimmered like precious metal yet again. Ichigo smiled so warmly at the awfully cute sight. It was too much like Yuzu that he couldn't help but raise his hand to Ruby's head and rub it a bit.

Instead of the expected cute pout, Ruby's eyes alarmingly dilated when Ichigo's fingers touched her wolf ears. The orange-head winced thinking he did something wrong. He retracted his hand away, only for Ruby to shoot her arms up and put them back in place behind her wolf ears.

"Who said you could stop?!" Ruby exclaimed with a bit of sass.

Ruby's exclamation got mixed reactions from some of the crowd. Weiss was trying to reconnect her bottom jaw, Blake rolled her eyes in a knowing fashion, Yang was highly amused, Jaune and Oscar were confused, and Ren and Nora were too busy with their own antics. (Mainly Ren prying Nora away from a jar of syrup).

"What?" Ichigo said dumbly.

"Head. Pet. NOW!" Ruby commanded, her grip on Ichigo's wrist growing painfully tight.

'There's no way...' Ichigo thought as he reluctantly began to scratch behind Ruby's wolf ears, which he silently noted were perfectly soft like a plushie. The effects were instantaneous. First, Ruby's posture relaxed till she seemed she was going to turn into jelly, then her eyes became glassy and aimless, a dust of pink painted her cheeks, and finally soft whimpers of bliss escaped her lips as she nudged her head closer to the addictive scratching that was making her mind turn into mush.

"You have to be kidding me." Ichigo mumbled at how just scratching Ruby's ears turned her into... this.

Ichigo sighed dejectedly. "Okay, you may as well tell us the plan now. There is no way that Ruby is letting go anytime soon."

"Just give a moment... or hours." said Blake.

As weird as the situation Ichigo landed himself in, at least he didn't have to worry about any of the level of chaos from his own world.

* * *

(Senna)

The amber-eyed, bubbly shinigami was skipping down the streets of Argus humming a merry tune. Her sudden joy was due to the new set of clothes she now adorned from shopping with the money Saph was nice enough to lend to her. Instead of the shihaksho, Senna switched to a light tan shirt with sleeves reaching to her elbows under a sweater similar to the one she wore in her gigai state in Karakura. At the bottom Senna had a bright red skirt with black pants reaching below her knees where she wore blue shoes that didn't hinder her movement.

"Thank you, Saph." Senna said, "Only we girls know the needs for shopping."

The shop that the shinigami went to was near wall of Argus, across from Saph's house. As Senna rounded a corner, she was ignorant to the lack of people ahead of her path. Or the oppressive presence in the air that drove off the people in fear. The presence of this malice made itself known to Senna when a mighty pressure descended down upon her shoulders. It was so sudden that she collapsed to her knees.

'W-What is this spiritual pressure?' Senna thought, 'It's not only massive, it's feels so cold.'

"Get yourself together, Senna." The shinigami bit her lip. She rose her own spiritual pressure to push against the other alien force allowing her to stand on her feet. However, she was no captain-class yet and the effort was taxing on her body to maintain the constant flow. Solid footsteps thudded behind her, and a cold sweat dripped down her neck.

"A lone, little shinigami fledgling." Spoke a voice that oddly sounded human if it wasn't for the subtle hiss.

Senna gripped onto her zanpakuto and spun herself around to face the attacker. It all happened less than a second, but to her opponent she was moving in slow motion. Her blade was held between two talon-like fingers, and as Senna trailed the appendage to the body her eyes widened in terror as a mask of an oni stared back at her. Burning pale yellow eyes stared into her soul like she could feel two daggers plunging into her chest. Her eyes trailed down to the hole running just below the oppressor's chest.

A Hollow. This thing was a Hollow, but it was standing on two feet with a bipedal figure. That only met this... was a Vasto Lorde.

The Hollow leaned his demonic mask closer to Senna. She wanted to get away, but her body refused to move. Not because of the spiritual pressure, but the sheer killing intent and malice that Vasto Lorde was giving off. Even for a Hollow such terror was unreal.

"I've missed this smell." spoke the Vasto Lorde with a dark chuckle, "The smell of a shinigami's fear. You so-called gods' that ooze such fear."

The sharp fingers slid down the blade slowly, creating sparks down the steel. Each second the fingers came closer felt like agonizing hours.

'Move dammit.' Senna screamed inwardly.

Having enough of her fear, Senna bit down on her lip hard to draw blood. The sudden pain was enough to snap Senna to move out of the way with a quick shunpo. Just as she looked back, the Vasto Lorde also disappeared in a burst of static. The next she knew, a house must've smashed into her and she was sent tumbling across the pavement of the street.

Senna tasted blood in her mouth and her vision was blurry. Another boom of static and the Vasto Lorde didn't give the shinigami a chance to get up as he used his flat hand and claws to cut into Senna's body before ending with a kick.

"I - am not - going down like this!" Senna said through gritted teeth, getting herself up, **"Bring them to the the Twilight, Mirokumaru."**

Senna's zanpakuto quickly turned into a golden staff. With a twirl, she fired a twister of ripping winds to the Hollow. The Vasto Lorde smirked behind his mask. He held the twister back with a single palm while keeping his ground despite the cracks at his feet.

"Very impressive indeed but not good enough." said the Hollow as his outstretched palm glowed red, **"Bala."**

An orb of reishi fired from the Hollow's hand canceling out the twister and racing towards Senna. The amber-eyed teenager put her staff in opposition to defend herself. She strained to hold it back, and her feet slid for several yards before she summoned enough strength to deflect it away. The Vasto Lorde hadn't made any intention for a follow-up and Senna would not waste it.

 **"Orutenpesuto."**

Multiple twisters of wind spun through the air and converged from all angles upon the Vasto Lorde.

"Useless." mumbled the Hollow, pointing his thumb, index, and middle finger with a glowing red orb in the between, **"Cero."**

A mighty ray of reishi overtook sound itself as it roared passed the twisters to Senna. She could do nothing but take the hit, screaming in pain from the burn of the oppressive reiastu. A scorched trail was left between Hollow and shinigami. At the end lay Senna covered in burns and one eye wounded shut. Beside her was her zanpakuto snapped in three pieces.

As Senna tried to move up, a shadow loomed over. Her vision was too blurry to make out the figure, but she knew it was the Vasto Lorde. She felt a tug on the front of her shirt and her feet leave the ground.

"Be glad that was at low yield, shinigami." the Vasto Lorde said and Senna could feel the grin from his mask, "Take care in the knowledge that the Grave God, Shao Kin, has use for you."

That was all Senna heard before her vision went black from a blunt blow to her head.

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long. I just didn't want this chapter to be so lacking and I've been a bit busy.**

 **Up next is Chapter 36.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	36. The Affairs of Heaven Come to Remnant

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 36: The Affairs of Heaven Come to Remnant**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

The plan to get to Atlas. Weiss walks to the Atlas base accompanied by Saph and her baby with Maria stuffed in the Ice Princess' luggage. Saph would create a distraction to allow Weiss and Maria to high-jack one of the aircraft. The rest of the party would wait at a cliff to await pickup, and Blake and Yang would go to disable their radar system.

A good plan if one wanted to be discreet. Ruby offered to storm into the base and basically manhandle everyone in the base and steal one of the aircraft herself. Not that it wasn't in her ability to do so, but Ren was adamant to not allow Team SIRR to reveal all of their powers unless the situation calls for it. Even Yang had to berate Ruby on her being a bit "trigger-happy".

Perhaps Cristina was having a bit too much influence on her.

However, Ruby was feeling uneasy about the plan. Her greatest worry was Senna who wasn't seen in the time she went to explore Argus. If she ever was in danger, Senna could spike her reiatsu to alert the rest of Team SIRR and shunpo to her position. What irked Ruby was the fact she hadn't sensed Senna's reiatsu at all, like it was being masked. If worse comes, she could always catch up with shunpo and there wasn't anything on Remnant that could hurt shinigami, at least not of their level.

Glancing to Ichigo, Ruby could also tell that her boyfriend was a bit skeptical about all this, evident by the flicking of his tail and the his fingers tapping on the hilt of Zangetsu. Ren was the most composed with his perfect mask of complete calm. There were only brief glimpses of his emotion mostly around Nora.

Ruby's cut off her own musings and focused on her task. She looked at her Scroll to see Weiss bar signal was empty as according to plan. If there were any Atlas military staff on the aircraft, they would be unable to communicate to the base to intercept.

"Alright guys, this is it." Ruby announced, bringing her finger to her ear comm, "Blake, you're up."

Ruby waited a few seconds, but quickly became unnerved when she didn't hear a response. "Blake?"

She looked to her friends to find some explanation to her unasked questions and to somehow give a reasonable answer to her fears for Blake. Unfortunately, Ruby was receiving equal looks of trouble.

Ruby switched her comm to Yang. "Yang, we have trouble. Blake isn't responding."

"On it." Yang said with through the comm.

"Ruby," spoke Weiss into Ruby's earpiece with the sound of Maria's cackling, "we have trouble. Cordo's onto us and Maria is not helping. Why is the radar still up?"

"W-We don't know." Ruby said, her voice cracking a bit, "Blake isn't responding."

Oscar started to panic as the plan was falling apart. "What do we do?"

"I'll tell you to do." said Ichigo, "We keep our wits sharp and our doubt minimal. We can't turn back now that we've come so far."

Yang spoke through the comm. "Keep the ship in one piece. I'll go."

The last Ruby heard was the roar of Yang's cycle before the feed cut off. Nora looked uncharacteristically nervous and proposed some of them should go to help her. But Qrow cut off whatever panicked improvising she was coming up with.

"Dammit!" Qrow cursed, "Cordo's going to scramble their fighters. We've got maybe ninety seconds before they are in the air all over Weiss and Maria. This is my fault. Every choice I've made-"

Qrow was cut off when Ichigo used shunpo to get in front and slapped the drunk across the face. There was an eerie silence as the implication of what Ichigo just did sinking into their head. Even Ruby was shocked, and Cristina might have made a lewd comment on the right choice of a man. Ichigo grabbed Qrow by his shoulders forcefully as the latter was getting back to reality.

"D-Did you just slap me?" Qrow said.

"Old coot, let me tell you from someone who has an overgrown baby for a father that attacks me every five seconds." Ichigo said with a stern gaze and serious tone, "Grow. Up. You think you can just blame everything happens to you because of your power, and that everyone has such perfect lives without you. That is the largest piece of bullshit I have ever heard because everyone has their own bit of suffering. Everyone right here has lost something and I'm pretty sure you were never around. Yet we're all still fighting while you are cowering away behind that excuse of bad luck. I've lost my own mother. Saw her die right in front of me yet here I am ready to fight at a moment's notice."

Everyone present felt a pinch at their hearts when Ichigo shared his tragedy of his mother's death. It affected Ruby the most since she knew how Ichigo was so sensitive to the topic. She pushed the pity back with a steel glare and approached Qrow with her own piece to add.

"We're all still here fighting." Ruby said, "That's all we can do. It's what you've always aimed for. We would've done this with or without you, so stop talking like we are your responsibility. Right now, I need Qrow Brawnwen, not my drunk uncle who can't let go of his past mistakes."

There was a moment of silence with only the wind whistling in the air. Qrow hanged his head, momentarily glancing between Ichigo and Ruby. He was quite lucky that they didn't decide to change into their Hollow eyes or the man would probably be pissing himself. A smile marked his face as he straightened himself up and loosened from Ichigo's hold.

"Why did you grow up so fast?" Qrow humored, "You're going to give me the same headaches your mother did to me."

Ruby smiled. "Someone has to chew you out."

Qrow let out a full-hearted laugh before he set an arm on Ichigo's shoulder and looked to him. "I take back what I said. Kid, you are the best thing that has ever happened to Ruby. I can fully trust you with her after slapping some sense in me."

Ichigo smirked. "Please, I've been growing up putting a foot in my dad's face. I'm a natural."

"Your old man and I should meet at same time and share a few bee-"

The dialog was interrupted when Weiss spoke through the calm to everyone. "Uh guys. She's not sending fighters."

Confused, the party turned to the Atlas base of what really Cordo was doing. To their shock, the side of the mountain at the far edge opened up revealing the whole thing to be a giant set of blast doors. It only increased with Ichigo almost tripping on his own feet when the doors fully opened to reveal a sixty meter tall giant mech made out of brown steel with a cannon for a right arm.

 ** _'What... the... hell?'_** Zangetsu said, too stunned to speak normally. It wasn't out of fear, but general surprise. Cause to Ichigo coming from Earth, what the hell do they need a giant robot for?

 _'This is certainly... unique.'_ Juha Bach said.

"Ruby... I get your world has a monster problem," said Ichigo, "but why are they sending a giant mech after us!?"

Instead of a straight answer, Ichigo found Ruby's eyes dazzling with the same innocent gleam of wonder and awe. "I know. It's sooo cool!"

 _ **'Okay it's official, Queenie is crazier than I am.'**_ Zangetsu confessed.

 _'...Is it weird that I find that great about her?'_ Ichigo wondered reluctantly when he was looking at Ruby in a new light.

 _ **'King, I'm proud of you.'**_ Zangetsu praised.

 _'Urusai!'_ Ichigo bit back, accidentally letting out a hiss.

Everyone was either shaking with apprehension or sweating bullets in the incoming fight of a giant robot. On the other hand, the shinigami seemed more complacent and didn't as much bat an eye of worry at the prospect.

"This isn't the first time we've faced something this big." Ruby said, glancing to Ichigo, "On to Plan B. Ichigo, would you mind taking care of the robot?"

"Getsuga Tensho?" Ichigo asked.

Ruby nodded. "Getsuga Tensho."

Ichigo formed a smirk a ghost that was of Zangetsu's. His hand gripped his giant zanpakuto. Upon contact the bandages unraveled and Ichigo swung it forth like it was as light as a feather. The non-shinigami made a few sweatdrops at the blatant calm mood they had, especially when Ruby seemed she was allowing Ichigo to fight the mech alone.

"Let's get this over with." Ichigo declared, ready to step into a shunpo.

However, a sudden pulse of powerful reiatsu stopped him in his track. All those present could feel it, like a chillwind rushing down their throats. Out of nowhere, a blast of red light roared through the air and struck the mech in its torso. The chasis didn't even last a second as the blast seared through it and the mech. Wide eyes from the cliff, aircraft, and Argus watched as the seemingly super mech collapsed into the sea from one attack.

Then they felt it. The merciless crushing spiritual pressure that washed over all of Argus. It forced even the Huntsmen, Huntresses, and the people to their knees struggling for breath. Ichigo, Ren, and Ruby could feel themselves having a cold sweat at the massive level that weighed down on them. It was easily captain-class, but unlike a shinigami's this one was laced with intense killing intent.

"This spiritual pressure." Ren gasped, "It's a Hollow."

"A Hollow!?" Ichigo exclaimed, "W-What kind of Hollow has that kind of spiritual pressure? Damn, it's even stronger than Byakuya!"

"How is this possible?!" Ruby exclaimed, "How is there a Hollow here?!"

"Ruby, what the hell is that?" Jaune said.

"A Vasto Lorde, the peak of a Hollow's evolution." Ren briefed, "They are even stronger than captains."

'If a Vasto Lorde is here, then that means Hollows really can come to Remnant!' Ruby thought, 'I may have to take up on that offer, Yamamoto-sotaicho.'

They almost lost balance when the earth suddenly shook violently. A deep rumbling came from Argus itself. Suddenly, a great spire thrusted out of the earth the size of a mountain and continued to grow until Argus was under a pale white tree. Jaune looked in horror knowing his sister and nephew were still down there while most of the Remnantie's couldn't believe what they were seeing. Ichigo was giving a furious scowl while also feeling a bit of guilt of indirectly bringing his own world's problems to Ruby's home. Ruby herself gritted her teeth showing her canines and her hand tightened on her zanpakuto.

"Ren," Ruby said with a serious tone, "go find Yang and Blake, make sure they're safe, and come back with us. Ichigo, you and I are going to get rid of this. No one comes barging on my home!"

"What about us?!" Nora asked, "Maybe we can-"

"NO!" Ren snapped, "This is beyond any of you. Only we can handle this."

"That doesn't mean we can just leave you behind!" Oscar retorted.

Ruby ignored Oscar as she activated her comm. "Weiss-"

"Ruby, what is going on down there?!" Weiss yelled through the earpiece.

"The kind of trouble that I am telling you - no, ordering you to not land." Ruby said with a raised voice.

"What has gotten into you?" Weiss asked nervously.

"Just do as I say right now if you want to stay alive!" Ruby shouted.

Ruby cut off the feed leaving no room for argument. With that out of the way, Ruby put her entire focus to the bone tree in the distance. She whipped out her zanpakuto and flash stepped across the expanse of water followed closely by Ichigo. The closer they approached the thicker the spiritual pressure seemed to be till the point anyone lower than captain-class would be frozen still.

'So much destruction, it'll cause a panic.' Ruby thought with a frustrated look, 'And panic will bring the Grimm.'

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Ruby cursed.

"It's okay, Ruby." Ichigo assured, with a determined look, "We're almost there, then no one is going to die."

Ruby wanted to respond but she silenced herself when she heard the panicked screams of the people of Argus. Where people would only see the couple as a blur in the sky, Ruby could clearly see the citizens running in the streets trying to get away from the danger. A cero fired in a random direction lighting a few blocks. It only served to make Ruby snarl and even Ichigo was on the verge of roaring with anger.

The two hybrids stopped in their shunpo once they arrived at the base of the bone tree. A jut in the 'trunk' formed a platform where they saw a tall humanoid covered in jagged bone chasis all in pale white. Yellow eyes stared back at them with not just killing intent but also maniacal joy. A hollow hole was clear in his chest just below his sternum. In his left hand was Senna, battered and beaten.

"Found you, shinigami." The hollow hissed, "I believe this fledgling is yours."

"LET HER GO!" Ruby outraged, disappearing in shunpo with Mazarozu unsealed.

The giant blade of the scythe was merely caught in the hollow's free hand. The steel grinded against his pale fingers that didn't even bleed. Ruby was too shocked to see a foot planting in her gut. She held in coughing spittle and flipped herself higher to place herself between the Vasto Lorde and Senna.

Ichigo flanked from the left with Zangetsu glowing blue as he brought it down. **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Whether the Vasto Lorde even minded the attack of pure reiatsu didn't matter. For a moment, his grip on Senna loosened just enough for Ruby to free her and quickly retreat to relative safety. Her jaw clenched seeing how utterly wounded and beaten she was.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Ruby twirled her head to see Jaune, Qrow, Nora, and Oscar running down the street. She wanted to curse but at the same time thank the heavens that at least Jaune was here.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby demanded an answer.

"We just want to help." Oscar said rather timidly.

Ruby sighed. "You want to help. Okay. Jaune, Senna is badly wounded. I need you guys to get her to safety and heal her while Ichigo and I handle this."

"And how is that working out?" Jaune asked.

To answer, Ichigo came barreling and digging into the asphalt. He was littered with fresh black bruises and cuts and blood was dripping from a corner of his mouth. The non-shinigami felt a bit of hope leave them seeing a 'death god' bleeding when they seemed so invincible.

They glanced down the street where Shao Kin appeared with sonido without any injuries whatsoever. The non-shinigami shivered under the gaze of bloodlust staring them down from those burning golden orbs.

"This... This thing is a monster." Nora whimpered, her hold on her hammer shaking.

"Just - what kind of monstrosity is he?!" Qrow gasped.

A subtle twitch in his neck was the only sign he even heard them. A dark chuckle muffled behind the oni mask, making the non-shinigami even more tense.

"So you can see me." Shao spoke, "What an interesting world you have. Be fortunate, ningen, that you are under the majesty of Shao Kin, the Grave King. The true god of Hueco Mundo. And you are my personal cattle."

"C-Cattle?" Jaune stuttered.

Before they could react, Shao pointed a finger and fired an ultra-powerful cero. Only Ichigo and Ruby had the reaction time to dodge it, but they also knew none of the others would survive it. Ruby steeled herself as she lifted Mazarozu over her head and planted it down on the ground like she would a flag.

Qrow and the others could only see the red flash for a second and they thought their lives were about to end. One thought went through the Huntsman's head as the beam got closer to disintegrate them.

 _'I'll be home soon, Summer.'_

But it was not meant to be when Ruby's cried out a word. **"BANKAI!"**

Red was replaced by brilliant silver and when no pain came, Qrow willed himself to open his eyes. Despite the harsh glare of light, he could clearly see a person standing in front of him erupting of so much of the light. He saw the flowing silver hood that seemed to protect him. Promising sanctuary in her light. Just like her.

"S-Summer?" Qrow gasped out in a whisper.

The silver light dimmed down to reveal Ruby standing before them protectively in her Bankai outfit of her silver hood. Her scythe was replaced with a white and blue glaive that was splitting the cero in two. One blade glowed silver light before shooting a wave of reishi that knocked Shao back down the street. From his right shoulder to the middle of his torso was a bleeding gash. The ancient Vasto Lorde touched the wound and examined his bloody talons. Ruby could feel the vicious smile matching his oni mask.

"Good, you can make me bleed." Shao said.

 **"Bankai!"**

Red-laced black reiatsu erupted off of Ichigo's form. When the energy cleared off, it revealed Ichigo's Bankai form, but a little bit changed. His black jacket now covered a shirt with two black straps making an X across his chest. His neck was now adored with a black scaled collar. Tensa Zangetsu was slightly longer with three prongs on the blunt side of the blade.

 _'This your doing, Zangetsu?'_ Ichigo said.

 _ **'Glad you like it, King.'** _Zangetsu said, _**'Queenie seems to enjoy it.'**_

Indeed, Ruby was staring at Ichigo with glazed eyes. Somehow, this new Bankai outfit seemed to hug his figure even tighter, and her cheeks were heating up. Both shinigami snapped to attention from a pulse of reiatsu from Shao.

Ruby glanced back to the Remnanties. "You want to fight? There's bound to be a lot of Grimm coming our way from all this panic. Don't let anyone die."

Jaune nodded and picked up Senna. "We won't let you down."

The Remnanties retreated away from the battlefield, leaving the shinigami and Vasto Lorde alone. As Shao's spiritual pressure threatened to crush them, Ruby and Ichigo let off all restraints and clashed with his own. The clash of opposing powers caused to ground to quake and shake and some of the nearby buildings ti crumble. Shao put a hand on each of his shoulders where a white protrusion extended. He grabbed onto it and Ruby felt a little bile rise in her throat when he pulled out two dueling bokkens made out of bone.

"Ikuzo, Ichigo." Ruby said with a bit of accidental Japanese that became second nature.

"Hai." Ichigo said with a smirk.

They readied their weapons in their respective stances. The world stood still before the inevitable start of a godly battle. Like a silent bang went off, Ruby, Ichigo, and Shaos launched off and clashed in the middle, a crater made on impact of their clash.

This was no longer a battle between humans.

* * *

 **Sorry it's been a while. Made a new story that you can check out on my profile. Hope you like this chapter.**

 **Up next is Chapter 37.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	37. Monster Storm

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Announcement: I am ecstatic for the official shonen manga for the RWBY series. So go check it out!**

 **Chapter: Monster Storm**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Blake and Yang)

The plan couldn't not have gone worse. Blake was sent to the radar tower to disable the system only to find the whole staff dead and to her horror Adam Taurus himself waiting for her. She instantly felt like throwing up on the spot when she caught his scent. He reeked of blood. Human and Faunas blood.

Questions of why and how he was there were pushed back as Blake focused on her survival instincts. They engaged in a short fight on the radar tower with Blake's agility saving her from fatal blows from Adam. He was focused on her death and at some point had Blake's throat until she shifted her weight to send them both down back to the ground from atop the tower. She managed to outmaneuver Adam through the forest, landing well-placed blows as well. Having nightmares of a former friend that has become a killing psychopath can be a good motivator for training.

Unfortunately, Blake was forced to stop at a clearing near a waterfall and face Adam head on. At first, Blake was able to hold her own and was even able to trap Adam's dreaded blade in her own sheath. However, she couldn't press upon the advantage against Adam's berserk driven battle prowess overpowering Blake to the point she was on the ground. Blake was only able to defend herself one last time before her blade broke.

Believing that Blake was done without her weapon, Adam revealed his face showing a brand mark burned over his left eye with the abbreviations of the Schnee Dust Company.

 **(When I saw that, I actually felt like killing Weiss' family.)**

When Blake's demise seemed inevitable, Yang made her appearance sacrificing her precious motorcycle to crash into Adam. For the time being, Yang fought in Blake's place as the Faunas recovered. It was a much even fight since Adam and Yang had similar Semblances, and Yang was far stronger and level-headed than she was in Beacon. But the blonde only lasted longer than Blake before she was forced near a cliff edge by a waterfall. Having enough, Adam unleashed his Semblance intent on splitting Yang in two but she just stopped herself from going over the edge and blocked the crescent red wave of energy with her prosthetic arm.

"Leave us alone." Yang exclaimed, tired of fighting with Adam. Even she could see no point in this battle. "This is your last chance."

Adam didn't even budge, and smirked seeing Yang's remaining arm shaking. "Do you really believe that? Or are you trying to scare me away so you don't have to die trying to protect her?"

Unexpectantly, Blake walked to Yang's side and took Yang's shaking arm. The shaking stopped and the blonde glanced to the cat Faunas with surprise while she gave back a smile.

"She's not protecting anyone, Adam." Blake stated with steel in her voice, "And I am not protecting her. We're protecting each other."

Adam Taurus chuckled maniacally as his blade charged with massive amounts of energy. "So you are protecting each other? Then you can die together!"

Adam's body turned black with only a red hue coming from his sheath. Blake and Yang prepared themselves for the attack, even though Adam unsheathed the blade faster than they could even see it. There was a blinding flash of red light and a cloud of dust hid the area away.

But there wasn't a destructive wave of red nor did Yang or Blake feel any pain. They blinked the daze from their eyes to see the dust cleared. Though at first they thought they were still dazed when they saw Ren in front of Adam when moments ago he was supposed to be with Ruby on the other side of the forest. Words couldn't even come when they saw it was he who blocked Adam's devastating attack... with one finger!

"What?" Adam gasped out, wide eyes staring at Ren who only gave an unreadable expression. Like blocking his sword with a single finger wasn't even a big deal. The green-clad shinigami didn't say anything but his eyes seemed to harden at Adam. His finger tapped on the red blade, and blood splashed from Adam's right shoulder to his hip.

Yang and Blake could only gasp at the impossibility that just happened. They don't even know what or how it happened. Nothing could track Ren's blade that sliced into Adam then back to his sheath in the amount of time that it seemed all he did was stand there. The wounded Faunas groaned in pain and fell to one knee clutching his bleeding wounds.

"I can't even call you a sentient being." Ren berated, if one could call it that from his neutral tone, "You are a disgrace to Faunas. You are more of a beast trapped in a cage because you attack whatever comes close."

Adam gritted his teeth in rage at the insult at being called a beast, but didn't realize the reason of it. With a roar, he jumped to his feet with his blade raised over his head to cut Ren down. The Kido master wasn't even batting an eye.

Adam's motions stopped entirely when Ren practically disappeared from sight and reappeared with a hand pressed on his chest. The air became thick like he was trying to swim through mud, and Ren's hand crackled with yellow electricity. When Adam looked back to Ren, his breath hitched at the eyes that looked at him with such cold intent. For the first time in a long while, Adam Taurus felt fear.

"Leave my friends alone." Ren said.

A crack of thunder and a flash of light, Adam was blasted into the forest by a wordless Raikohou. Unimaginable pain erupted from his chest before blacking out, his Aura instantly shattered. He crashed into multiple trees before the Kido blast settled into an explosion that picked up a cloud of dust and uprooted some of the trees from pure force alone.

A long silence descended on the area with the exception of fallen debris. Blake and Yang just stared at Ren at shock and bewilderment. What they saw couldn't be human.

"Blake?" Yang said.

"Yeah." Blake replied.

"Remind to never try to piss off Ren." Yang said.

Suddenly, gravity decided to increase and the two girls were floored to the ground. The pressure came with an intense feeling of killing intent and bloodlust, like a predator was bearing its eyes upon them while they could do nothing. Only Ren was unaffected, but his eyes were shot wide.

"Ren - what - is - that?!" Yang struggled to groan out while in danger of falling unconscious.

Ren didn't give an answer but suddenly grabbed Yang and Blake, and shunpoed to the source of the spiritual pressure.

(Ruby and Ichigo vs. Shao Kin)

 **"Getsuga Tensho."**

Ichigo was high above in the air, his black sword brimming with red-laced dark reiatsu. With an overhead swing, he let off a black crescent wave of reiatsu that rocketed to the Vasto Lorde below. Cuurently, Shao Kin was dueling Ruby as a distraction for Ichigo's setup. However, it took the most precise control of her spiritual pressure to cut the Vasto Lorde and those blows didn't even last long. Yet, Ruby felt that Shao was merely playing with them.

As Ruby saw the crescent wave of Getsuga Tensho coming down, she used an overhead swing with her glaive. The glaive was caught between the bone bokken in an X formation, but Ruby planned for that. She turned into a red twirl with her Semblance to travel along the length of her glaive to deliver a kick to his face. It was successful in making Shao stagger, allowing Ruby to duck underneath to knock Shao into the air. What she didn't expect was for a charged cero at the center of Shao's chest.

Ruby braced herself using her Semblance to escape the cero. At the same time, Shao pointed two fingers at the oncoming Getsuga Tensho and fired a cero that canceled it out in a temendous explosion of reiatsu washing over Argus.

The sound of static alerted Ichigo. His body moved on instinct blocking a slash behind him. Ichigo put more pressure on Tensa Zangetsu to try and break the lock.

"A little thing to remember, ningen." Shao said, easily overpowering the lock. "Never try to win in a contest of strength."

A kick hit Ichigo in his midsection, knocking the out of his lungs. He quickly righted himself in midair. He looked up in time to see Shao fire a volley of bone darts protuding out of his arms.

'What is with this guy and bones?' Ichigo thought creeped out.

He swung Tensa Zangetsu on a blur deflecting every shot his way then suddenly launching a wordless Getsuga Tensho. Shao braced with his Hierro hardening his skin. The blast died down hut all the damage he had was a burn on his arm.

Ruby flanked behind Shao. The Vasto Lorde gave her a glance but didn't move. His spine suddenly shot out a pike of bone that impaled the Huntress. Shao quirked an eyebrow under his mask when Ruby faded out of his existence. A gleam of silver and Shao was dealt a blow to his right cheek where Ruby reappeared.

'Thank you, afterimages.' Ruby thought.

She followed up with a swing to Shao's gut, shifting back at the other end of her glaive to hit the back of his neck. Shao moved quickly ducking under the blow while blocking it with his bokken. He thrusted his free bokken forward, but Ruby successfully parried the stab.

Ichigo reappeared swinging down his blade. Shao easily blocked the attack until Ruby snuck underneath with her glaive glowing silver.

 **"Howaitososa."**

The glaive hit its mark at the exact moment the reiatsu was released in an explosion. Ichigo and Ruby are forced back from the shockwave and stared at the blood of dust that was left.

 **"Bala Fiesta."**

Before they knew it, the shinigami duo was bombarded by a wave of bala. Even as they cut them down, they exploded on contact and soon they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Shao narrowed his eyes where Ruby was, knowing full well that wouldn't be enough to kill her. But from behind the Vasto Lorde had to dodge a Getsuga Tensho that leveled a block below.

'That's just annoyingly distracting.' Shao thought.

A battle cry was all the warning he had before pain erupted on his left cheek as Ruby drop kicked him from above. He hurled back to the ground and crashed into a street in a large crater. Shao picked himself up with a snarl. Ichigo soared forward in bursts of shunpo swinging his blade dripping with black reiatsu. Shao gritted his teeth using more effort to parry away each blow.

Shao went for a slash with his right bokken. Ichigo blocked the blow and twisted to the left to avoid the other bokken and punish by cutting underneath Shao's right arm.

Hollow eyes narrowed dangerously in frustration. He turned around to keep Ichigo in his sights, only to see Ruby's glaive stabbing into his right shoulder, but his Hierro kept it from going too deep. Ignoring the pain, Shao slammed his right hand into the ground while holding Ruby off with his left bokken. His plan worked when a spire of bone sprouted in front of Ichigo, making him back up as more chased down. With one opponent left and his shoulder healed, Shao focused on Ruby by first flanking her with sonido. He was surprised when the Huntress reacted instantly to avoid a fatal blow but in turn receiving a bleeding cut from her shoulder towards her forearm.

Ichigo returned to the fray but his attack was already countered thanks to Shao's honed instincts. He expected to run Ichigo through with a stab, but Ichigo made an almost unexpected motion stabbing his blade forward just long enough to swat the stabbing bokken away. He disappeared with a shunpo in the same second, making Shao widen his eyes at such reaction speed. Instincts flared again his right bokken blocking both Ruby and Ichigo.

The pair were stained with a bit of blood and dirty from dust and some bruises on their hands and face. Shao looked unharmed thanks to his rapid healing but he could feel the strain on his reiryoku reserves. It became a two-on-one duel yet again as the three godly entities engaged in a blur movement coupled with the clash of steel against steel. The Vasto Lorde was growing increasingly frustrated with the fight that at first he was dominating until the pair before him were suddenly catching up to him in speed and reflex. He has faced many captains of the Gotei 13, some even faster and stronger but none of them had this strange tenacity to suddenly become stronger in the middle of a fight.

It almost felt like he was fighting two Hollows.

Then using his Perquisa as he defended himself, Shao saw it. Deep under the reiatsu of the shinigami lay the all-too familiar feel of a Hollow. He couldn't believe his luck: living proof of Hollow and shinigami hybrids. Not only that, it matched the massive spiritual pressure that attracted him all the way from Hueco Mundo. A grin stretched behind his mask at his fortune. Their dormant power would help Shao ascend new heights once he devoured them. Now, there was no need to hold back now that his prey was in sight.

Shao quickly disappeared in sonido and reappeared at the base of the tree. Ruby and Ichigo chased after him only to find the Vasto Lorde pushing his hand into the giant bone tree.

"You're not normal shinigami, are you?" Shao said, "I can taste the Hollows off of you. Such delicious power in such pathetic ningen."

"What do you from us?" Ruby exclaimed.

"I want your power." Shao announced with a predatory snarl, "More accurately, I want to consume you. Never in my long centuries have I ever encountered such power standing right before me on a silver platter. To celebrate my ascension, allow me to host a feast."

Massive amounts of spiritual pressure flowed into the bone tree. All around them, plants and trees shriveled and died and Ruby could feel that the very air died. The tips of the branches started to grow buds but they didn't bloom flowers. When the buds opened, it was nothing but a hole in space and time.

First came the wailing and screeches. Ruby's shot wide, her features paled, and her grip on her scythe was shaking. Each and every bloom was a Garganta pouring out an endless horde of Hollows.

"Do you wish for power?!" Shao bellowed, his voice booming over all of Argus, "Then swear your loyalty to the Grave God, Shao Kin. Now feast, my loyal subjects!"

(Outside the Battlezone)

Ren dropped Blake and Yang off where he felt the abundance of his comrade's signatures. What he found was Qrow, Oscar, Jaune, Nora, and a healed Senna with the Argus militia fending off a horde of Grimm trying to get through the gates while people fled to the bunkers. In the distance, Ren could see ripples of shockwaves and blasts of spiritual energy of Ruby and Ichigo's battle with the Vasto Lorde. He had a small sweatdrop at the level of destruction they were causing by accident.

A growl snapped his attention to an Ursa about to swipe a claw. On reflex, Ren pointed a finger and fired a wordless Sokatsui intantly burning the Grimm to ashes. Blake and Yang snapped out of their vertigo from being carried via shunpoed to join the fight against the horde. Ren was a bit torn between going to help Ichigo and Ruby or staying here to keep back the Grimm. In the end, he put his faith in his two friends.

(Cue "Number One

Ren entered the fray in a green blur, his twin bayonets cutting through the horde of Grimm as he passed. To him, everything moved in slow-motion, the result of his training as a shinigami. Some of the soldiers and Ren's friends paused to stare at Ren in awe as he mowed down through the Grimm. He slowed down in a slide his right hand going through strange motions.

 **"Hado 63: Raikohou."**

A gigantic bolt of lightning tore through the Grimm horde that covered the landscape and dug a deep trench into the land. The Remnanties just stared in shock at Ren literally chucking out a lightning bolt out of his hands like it was nothing. The creatures of Grimm had no will to run, but were now aware of the immediate danger. Red eyes trained on the lone shinigami, abandoning their chase for the other humans.

"Is he going to be okay?" A militia guard asked.

"For some reason, I think so." Nora muttered, seeing the absolute calm image Ren had. In her opinion, it made him look cool.

Ren took a moment to assess his surroundings, but all he could see was the multiple forms of Grimm. He should be frightened, his heart should be pumping, and his arms should be shaking. But yet Ren was calm was an untouched pond.

"What does Ruby wanted to say as a slogan for Team SIRR?" Ren mused, a smirk playing on his face, "Shall we dance?"

A whisper of wind and Ren was gone in action, unable to stop. Every movement he made, every step he took was pure perfection. His swords swung at speeds the human eye could never track, and each Grimm he passed ended up in disintegrating. Ren sidestepped, his left bayonet cleaving through the chest of a Beowulf like soft butter. He purposefully anchored the bayonet into the ground to pivot off to lunge his right bayonet into the neck of an Ursa. Using his right bayonet as an anchor, his left bayonet came out of the ground as he pivoted off to land a devastating kick to another Ursa enough to shatter bone.

His body twisted in the air slicing off heads as he went. His feet landed on top of a giant scorpion. Ren's hands went through quick motions before blue fire gathered at his hands.

 **"Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui."**

Ren aimed his hands down engulfing the scorpion before the blue inferno spread out on the ground to all the Grimm present for a 70-meter radius. In the midst of such destructive flames, the Huntsmen stood there without care.

As for the members of Team (R)WBY and JN(PR) present, they were basically left in Ren's literal dust of slaughter through Grimm, their jaws wiping the floor.

"Am I - am I high or something?" Yang said.

Weiss shook her head. "Can't be a dream. Only Nora would think of this."

"But why is he awesome!?" Yang exclaimed. Sure, having exchanged fists with the Huntsmen he was a decent fighter, but how did he turn into this?!

Senna added her piece, but she was the only one unaffected by Ren's display. "Are you going to keep on gawking or get to work?"

She went through some hand motions and reiatsu gathered in her hands.

 **"Hado 38: Mundorippu."**

A silver and green circle as wide as Senna's body came to life in front of her and began firing short bursts of energy at the Grimm. Yang snapped out of her shock replaced by the adrenaline of battle while Blake provided fire support via the lack of her katanna. Ever so surely, the Grimm horde was dimming down to size from Ren's onslaught.

Suddenly, shrill screaming sent a chill down all present and turning all heads toward the city. While the Grimm was taken care of, now they were met upon a new wave in the form of new creatures of varying sizes and shapes with white masks and a hole running through them.

"H-Hollows!" Senna none but shouted.

Ren looked wide-eyed at the sudden storm of Hollows that appeared out of nowhere. He instantly sped off with shunpo to get there in time as the militia and his friends were immediately attacked. The rain of gunfire could only slow them down from the literal pouring. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun, and not even Senna could protect everybody with her body still recovering. Just as Ren was about to risk with a very high level Hado spell...

 **"Scream, Benihime."**

A wave of red instantly killed the wave of Hollows before they clamped down on them. Ren was suddenly hit with a sense of deja vu upon the first time he heard that voice and saw that bright red light.

"What was that?" Yang asked intelligently but Ren could only smirk.

"My, my, Ren-san, doesn't this take us back to how we met?"

All eyes turned to a man of blonde hear wearing a green coat, bucket hat, and wooden sandals. While on first look he seemed like a regular civilian, his air of complete calm was alarming to say the least in this instance. Ren spared the blonde man a glance with a smile.

"What took you so long, Urahara-san?" Ren said in a berating tone, obviously fake.

Urahara faked a hurt heart. "You wound me, Ren-san. As a friend and sensei, I tried my hardest to find when you were flung into the Dangai, _and the repeated death threats._ I finally get here and find a horde of Hollows, so as the neighborhood's resident owner shopkeeper I couldn't stay back and not help."

Senna coughed. "Whipped."

"More like cracked over a post." Spoke a new voice. Behind Kisuke was an odd bunch all brandishing swords and radiating the same power as Ren and Senna. A tall lean man with blonde hair glanced at the oncoming army of Hollows going through the city and after them.

"What impeccable timing, don't you think so?" Said the man with a cheshire smile, "I see Ruby-san and Ichigo-san have their hands full. So... what can the Vizards do for you?"

Ren could only smile in reply and steel flashed into the air. The Remnanties could only look up Hollows were slain and blood spray in the air. That day a little less than ten sprang into the air upon an army, yet the was no chance of defeat.

That day shinigami arrived to defend Remnant.

 **Yay, Kisuke's back and the Vizards jump into action fighting a whole army of Hollows and stop the destruction of Argus.**

 **Up next is Chapter 38** : **Unmasked**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review; every review is love!**


	38. Unmasked

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter: Unmasked**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Ren and the Vizards)

The battle of Argus was almost overrun by the swarm of Hollows. It seems that is destiny that where Hollows go to wreck havoc upon the living, the shinigami are there to face them.

The tide was instantly turned in the living's favor. Hachi raised a Kido barrier protecting the militia and the fleeing citizens to prevent the Hollows going on a mad rampage for their flesh. Seeing their prey walled off, the Hollows charged the shinigami in both rage, hunger, and instinct. It couldn't be called a battle but more of a slaughter. Before their banishment, the Vizards were comprised of seated officers, lieutenants, and captains, and they have trained for a hundred years.

Most of the Vizards with Senna went to the sky to meet the brunt of the Hollow horde. Senna opened with an Okasen to rip through their formation and appear in the middle with a shunpo. Instinct convinced the Hollows that Senna was dead from being surrounded and outnumbered. The purple-head didn't bat an eye at the fast-approaching monsters howling for her flesh.

 **"Bring them to the Twilight, Mirokumaru."**

Autumn leaves and ripping winds hid away her form as her zanpakuto transformed into the golden staff that commands the winds of the sky. Reiatsu flowed from her like the floodgates were open. With a twirl, Mirokumaru summoned a a twister shredding through the horde of Hollows leaving nothing but the decaying reiatsu of their purified souls. From below, they could see the Hollows literally dropping down from the sky, only for their bodies to disintegrate into nothing before even reaching the earth.

On the ground, Ren focused on clearing the streets of Hollows searching for victims in the houses. Once Ren had his eyes on his target, they were already dead with the Kido master moving on with a shunpo. Kakushifokkusu sliced through Hollow flesh without end and the edge still razor sharp.

Ren arrived on a street seeing a Hollow clawing at the door of a house where he could sense a family trapped.

 **"Hado 4: Byakurai."**

Pale lightning shot from Ren's fingertip piercing through the Hollow's mask instantly killing it. From the window, he could tell someone was risking to glance at their savior but Ren prioritized on erecting a Kido barrier on the house to protect them.

But a split-second in his Kido manipulation, a Hollow chose to go for the kill with its jaw ready to bite off his upper body. Ren was going to shoot another Byakurai to eliminate the threat but a fireball beat him to the kill. His eyes glimmered with surprise to see Yang, Blake, Jaune, and Nora a few feet away their weapons at the ready.

Ren was about to speak, but Nora seemed to know exactly what his thoughts were.

"Don't be mean, Ren." Nora said, her grin plastered on her face as she readied Magnhild, "There's no way we'll just let you squash the fun without us."

Ren sighed inwardly. Same old Nora, no one can convince her otherwise. He even doubted that Yamamoto, the most imposing figure he had ever met, would have no chance of stopping Nora's addiction to pancakes. That thought graced a smile on his face.

Ren gave them a gesture that basically gave his friends the go, and just in time as the street ahead greeted a horde of Grimm. Yang was the first to go by jumping forward with the recoil of her shotgun gauntlet and prosthetic, and Blake stayed back providing covering fire. Bullets didn't seem to faze Hollows at all. A Hollow dared to leap to bite only for its mask to shatter from her punch. A shockwave was produced giving room for Yang to land with an almost feral smile.

Seeing that smile suddenly gave Ren an episode of the unique PTSD involving Kenpachi. One meeting with that man, no, monster was more than enough for Ren's sanity.

"Bullets may not work." Yang said, "But good fashioned punching solves everything."

Yang went on the complete offensive, embers flickering in her wake. She first punched a Hollow right in the stomach caving in its insides and shattering whatever bone underneath. She followed by a small flurry of shotgun enhanced punches to the chin before literally shooting off to the next with a kick sending the next Hollow careening away. She fired a few shotgun rounds burning the Hollows facing her. This left her wide open to be smacked away by a brute of Hollow with a mask of a gorilla. The blonde tumbled a few times before denting into a lamppost, but she got up like nothing happened.

"So that's how it is, huh." Yang muttered, her Aura flaring a golden light.

Yang took the liberty of "recycling" the busted lamppost by taking into her two hands squeezing the metal and wielded the iron pole. She further showed her superior strength swinging the lamppost like a bat knocking down a line of Hollows and then some. The same gorilla Hollow was just slightly smart enough to catch the pole and render it useless by snapping it.

That's when Nora decided to join crashing down her hammer on said Hollow's head with a war cry. The Hollow was instantly floored to the ground while a crater formed on impact. She shot off grenade launching herself off the dead Hollow and swung her hammer on another unfortunate soul striking its shoulder with a loud crack in an instant kill. Yang returned her hair glowing like the sun and the girls shared a grin before unleashing their ferocious strength on the rest of the horde.

Ren had a huge sweatdrop as he watched Yang and Nora tear through the Hollows like they were playing whack-a-Beowulf. He almost had the decency to feel sorry for the Hollows that had to face them.

"It, uh, doesn't seem they need help." Jaune spoke.

Ren nodded in agreement. And it wasn't out of lack of confidence from Jaune.

* * *

(Ruby and Ichigo vs. Shao Kin)

If Ruby could sum up how she felt now, it would be absolutely livid. She tried so damn hard to get stronger, to protect everyone when she could barely stand up for herself. But problems from another world follow her and dare to destroy what she loved.

Her eyes flashed red for a moment before Ichigo held her back by her shoulder. She whipped her head back to Ichigo being met with a stern look.

"Keep your cool." Ichigo calmly said, "We can't afford to go in reckless. It's the only reason we're still going."

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she tried to keep down her growing fury. It felt like. it was her fault that she led Shao to her own world where nothing could stop him without shinigami. Around her the streets and buildings of Argus burned and a cloud of smoke hanged dangerously above from the fires. Her fists tightened. After getting this power Ruby couldn't stop this from happening.

 ** _'Oi sis, quit the brooding and get to it.'_** Cristina berated.

 ** _'I'm with the red-eyed bitch, so stand strong and fight will you.'_** Zangetsu added from Ruby's mental link with Ichigo.

The pep talk snapped Ruby out of her blue mood and let a small smile grace her face. Trust her own sadistic twin to snap her back to shape. Her leader's mind went to work on a plan to take down Shao.

"Ichigo, I have a plan." Ruby said.

She gestured Ichigo to lend an ear and whispered a quick plan. Ichigo nodded and he took the opening charge to Shao. Sharp trunks of bone rose to impale him, but his speed easily shattered them. He even used his tail to sling around a trunk that grew in front of him just as he came closer to a few feet.

Shao was going to counter with a bone shot or if his body until Ruby did her piece.

 **"Hado 31: Shakaho."**

A red ball of reiatsu shot at increadible speed from Ruby standing on top of one of the bone spires exploding on his shoulder. The damage was superficial but enough for Ichigo to close the distance in close-combat.

Even with two swords, Shao fekt himself pushed. To Ichigo, he was barely even thinking on each movement. His battle katas were abandoned replaced only by pure instinct. When there was danger, he instantly dodged without hesitation.

'He fights like a Hollow!?' Shao thought in shock.

To the human eye Ichigo disappeared from sight only to reappear behind Shao at the end of a swing. Shao's boken was v placed to parry a slice to his side during Ichigo's maneuver. He turned back to push back but found his right foot stuck. The Vasto Lorde looked down in surprise to see Ichigo's tail wrapped around his right ankle. The attack from before was only a diversion. Shao could do nothing as he lost his footing from Ichigo tugging back his tail.

"You're mine now!" Roared Ichigo, **"Getsuga Tensho."**

'Damn ningen!' Shao inwardly screamed as he was blasted by a point-blank blast of black reiatsu that cut a deep trench into the ground till finally exploding in the distance.

Shao was shot out of the dust cloud, his body covered in burns. Before he could even steady himself, Ruby appeared behind him with her superior speed and kicked him in a random direction. The Vasto Lorde let out a snarl clawing at the air but couldn't react in time before Ichigo used his own great speed and shunpo to flank Shao and knock him away. Immediately after that Ruby followed up in Shao's path kicking him away, then to be followed up instantly by Ichigo with a sound-shattering blow, and again with Ruby.

'This speed!' Shao thought as he was pummeled in every direction by the two shinigami, 'I-I can't keep up!'

The pattern went on and intensified as Ichigo and Ruby used their Semblances to further gain speed. When Ichigo would knock him away, it was either Ruby dashing in a flurry of rose petals to intercept or Ichigo using his Semblance to switch places with the Vasto Lorde so Ruby could strike him where Ichigo previously was. The two became blurs with Shao bouncing between them like a pinball. Ruby and Ichigo pushed their Semblances to the limit to the point they became a spiraling dome of white and black and Shao's screams of pain drowned away by the high-pitch hum of speed and deep drum of shunpo.

The dome grinded into the ground and Ichigo and Ruby appeared a distance away just as it exploded. Ruby had on a cheeky smile, her chest swelling in pride at the results of her awesome plan. Even Ichigo couldn't help but smirk at the damage at play.

"Aww, you beat me to the fun." Whined a male voice with mirth.

Ichigo and Ruby snapped their heads in the direction of the voice only for their eyes to widen on the ex-shinigami Kisuke Urahara, complete with a careless smile and his green bucket hat.

"Kisuke!" Ruby cried in joy, "H-How?"

"Why do you doubt my ingenuity?" Kisuke said.

A few bursts of shunpo revealed Ren, Senna, and Shinji with blades bloody from slaying Hollows. While Ichigo smiled in greeting, Ruby looked to the sky to see the horde of Hollows being cut down by the rest of the Vizards, thus saving the Argus. On the ground down the street she even saw Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Oscar, and Qrow taking a part in the fight themselves while coming closer.

"Damn, you took the fun away from me." Senna pouted while applying healing Kido to Ruby and Ichigo.

"RUBY!" Shouted a familiar blonde as Ruby was tackled in a hug by a blur. Ruby shook from her daze not a second later as Yang looked over her little sister like a mother hen. "You alright?"

Ruby smiled while pushing Yang away at arm's length to prevent herself from being crushed. "I'm fine. I just got finished dealing with the boss."

"The fact that you're relating this to a video game tells me that you're okay." Yang said, still trying to squeeze her sister.

Blake was more than normally silent as she chose to rest and recover her Aura both from fighting Grimm and Adam.

Meanwhile, Ichigo gave his attention to Kisuke and Shinji.

"For once, I'm glad you're here Hat n' Clogs." Ichigo said.

"Judging how you're not a Hollow, you've subdued your Inner Hollow," Kisuke said while waving a fan, only for both him and Shinji to freeze once they noticed Ichigo's new appendage, "...You have a tail."

Ichigo could only scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "It's... complicated."

A moment of silence dropped between the two before Shinji decided to speak.

"Are.. Are you okay with it?" Shinji asked.

"I'm fine." Ichigo answered, waving his tail in front of him, "I actually kind of like it. Though I don't know what Ruby would say with her new wolf ears."

"Wolf ears?" Kisuke wondered for once in a long while stumped. He was expecting a lot of things when coming to a new world. Finding Ichigo and Ruby with new animal appendages certainly was none of them.

It seemed the was only the calm after the storm. The fighters tended to their wounds while some of the Vizards pushed the army of Hollows back to the Garganta tree. Such calm was false: the battle wasn't over.

The crater that housed Shao suddenly exploded in a dust cloud and launched debris into the air. A deep, heart-wrenching roar of a Hollow shook Argus like an earthquake. Huntsmen, Huntresses, and shinigami converted their eyes as the first was blown away. To the horror of the non-shinigami, standing in the center of the crater was Shao Kin, his form bloody from the last attack he took.

"He's still alive!?" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby scoffed. "I know he's a Vasto Lorde, but what does it take to put him down!?"

She and Ichigo had gone through most of their energy and reiryoku reserves just to pull off that stunt to put him in the ground. The only calm in this situation was that shinigami on there level were available to deal with him and Shao didn't have enough reiatsu to outlast a fight. But Ruby couldn't shake this gut feeling that this wasn't going to end soon.

"Damn... ningen...!" Shao spat, coughing blood.

"Vasto Lorde, you are in no condition to resist." Kisuke said in all seriousness, "The best we can do for you is a quick and painless purification."

"I won't even be found dead in the excuse of a 'heaven' that's Soul Society!" Shao hissed, suddenly disappearing in a sonido with the last of his reserves.

The Remnanties were startled by Shao's sudden disappearance. Ren quickly tracked down the Vasto Lorde's spiritual pressure to the giant bone tree. He gestured to the direction and the Shinji, Senna, Kisuke, Ruby, Ichigo, and himself went on the hunt in bursts of shunpo. Yang, Blake, Nora, and Jaune decided to run after them in the general direction they were facing. The rest of the Vizards were too busy pushing the Hollows back to the Gargantas, but at least the sight of them winning against the horde of monsters alleviated the fears of the militia and the citizens.

The shinigami and hybrids reappeared at the base of the bone tree where they saw Shao leaning against the trunk where his little platform was situated. He gave them a glance of his golden eyes blazing with so much hate. When the Remnanties arrived, they almost froze at the stare he was giving off.

"You have no idea!" Shao roared, his voice heard across all of Argus, "You shinigami think you cure us. You are part of our suffering as much as our hunger. The only true death god is your precious Spirit King, but I see nothing of his evidence. Only a bunch of worthless souls too arrogant in their place in the world. I will show you, shinigami, your place and what a true god really is."

Shao thrusted his hand through the trunk of the tree. The land became more cold and empty as though life itself was dying. The Gargantas changed into orbs and no longer allowed Hollows through. Instead, they could hear cries of agony and they could feel the swell of reiatsu that was gathering on each "leaf". Veins glowed along the tree and pulsed down to Shao's hand. The air felt heavy at the unending climb of reiatsu, making even Kisuke have a cold sweat. Argus shook under the power to return the fear to the people. And with fear come the Grimm.

After a few moments, Shao released the hold on the tree. In his hand was an orb of reiatsu condensed into a singularity glowing both yellow and orange while pulsing like a heart. It held the power of thousands of souls, more specifically the Hollows that were enticed by the rich smell of souls from Remnant along with the natural reiatsu from the land itself. Ichigo and Ruby weren't good sensors, but they could feel the unimaginable power emanating from it, and the Remnanties were struggling to stand just from its spiritual pressure.

"Be honored to witness my ascension." Shao announced as he did the unexpected.

He smacked the highly condensed orb of reiatsu onto his face while gripping his mask so tightly that it cracked. With just a few squeezes, his mask shattered. Blinding light forced the shinigami and non-shinigami to shield their eyes. They could hear screams of agony from Shao Kin as his spiritual pressure grew higher and higher but also unstable. The more brilliant and intense the light, the more he screamed and his reiatsu almost near critical level to explode. Fortunately or unfortunately, Shao's screams of agony turned into maniacal laughter.

The light died down and the reiatsu stabilized. Ruby and Ichigo blinked their eyes to get rid of the daze and looked to Shao's perch. What they saw was not the Vasto Lorde from before.

The new Hollow had the same pale skin and hole in the chest but that's where the similarities ended. Instead of a mask, there was a face of masculine build with a bit of feminine detail along the cheek bones. There were no gold eyes, but pale pupiless staring down at them with smug mirth. The man wore a robe with roomy sleeves, white pants, and black shoes. Pale white hair flowed down to his mid-back. On his forehead was a band of some kind with a pair of shaved horns. Sheated on his back was a naginate with a pale blade, golden floral-pattern pommel between shaft and blade, and a night black shaft lined with dark purple and a long chain at the other end.

It was indeed Shao Kin, but he was no longer a Vasto Lorde. By ripping his mask, he has stepped into the realm of the shinigami, as an arrancar.

"Now then..." The stranger muttered, clenching his fist.

He flexed his spiritual pressure and to say everyone was shocked was an understatement. His spiritual pressure was massive enough to send out a ripple that floored the Remnanties mercilessly, crumbled down nearby buildings, and cut down the giant white tree. Ruby and Ichigo were frozen on the spot as the spiritual pressure hit them full-force.

Ren visibly widened his eyes and his lips quivered in worry. He may have to use _that_ by the amount of spiritual pressure he was sensing. As the Vizards snapped out of their shock and charged, Ren was about to join them when a different roar caught his and Senna's attention to the shore. The situation that already became worse had become even worse.

Because approaching the city was a giant Leviathan Grimm.

Ren was yet again torn from dealing with the new arrancar or the Leviathan. Yet again, he chose to trust his friends and rushed to meet the Leviathan in battle. A scowl marked his face as one thought crossed his mind.

'#### my life.'

* * *

 **Sorry if it's been a while. Just a little busy with some school stuff and with the other stories that I have been preparing. I would like to see suggestions for the name of Shao's resurrecion, with the release command being "Skewer..."**

 **Up next is Chapter 39: Skewer, Empalador.**

 **Stay in touch. Reviews are love!**


	39. Banish in Flame

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter: Banish in Flame**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Ren vs. Leviathan)

Never would Ren dream that he would ever come face a giant Grimm one-on-one. Never thought of just standing in the air right in front of it like an wall in its path despite his size. Never would he think that he was actually brave enough to actually stare it down with his unreadable expression.

Only Nora had the sugar-fueled imagination for such a concept. Ren vs. a giant freaking monster from the sea. Next thing he knew he was going to try and stop her from investing in the cinema to make it into a movie. He shivered as his fears continued to delve into other possibilities Nora was going to do. She was the only woman to ever do that to him ever since they were kids. And it was always him to keep her in check and clean up the mess, but he would never give her up.

Speaking of frighteningly looking odds, the giant Leviathan Grimm just tore down one of the barriers and decided to blast out a fireball.

'Alright, I'm pretty sure Professor Port never covered fire-breathing Grimm.' Ren thought in a bit of trepidation of packs of Beowolves breathing fire. Hollows only narrowly come out worse with ceros and Gargantas.

Ren whipped out his left bayonet and split the fireball in two harmless fires. The heat was nothing compared to the raw powers he faced on Earth.

"Bad boy." Ren said.

The Grimm's response was to unleash a roar and make a beeline for the city. Ren had to say it was surprisingly fast.

 **"Bakudou 81: Danku."**

With a burst of reiatsu, a towering blue barrier manifested in front of the Leviathan. It did not halt its course, which proved a false action when it didn't expect to bounce away. However, Ren was a little surprised that its sheer power and strength shattered the Kido spell.

"Let's try Hado." Ren mused, his right hand sparking, **"Hado 63: Raikohou."**

Ren was embarrasses to admit, but he found it 'cool' in the fact he could fire giant bolts of thunder from his hands. It only felt like a little tickle through his arms and fingers, but when that power was unleashed in those spells he has proven to have the power to decimate armies in a single blow. Command storms with a few words. And bring the meaning of destruction upon his enemies. While his kendo was impressive enough to hold himself against Aizen, his true strength lay in his unmatched potential in Kido. Normal spells that would take an incantation for the desired effect, Ren could simply shape his reiatsu into that spell and give out the same power.

And so did a mighty flash of lightning rip split earth and sky in two as it crashed into the side of the Leviathan. It gave a pained roar finding its shoulder scorched and sizzling from the foreign power. Another roar that rippled the air was given off as the Grimm took a few paces back to recover its bearings.

However neither it nor Ren did not expect what came next. A silver blur soared in front of the Leviathan. Ren could see it was Weiss' aircraft but on board was Nora with a loaded grenade launcher and Weiss beside her casting glyphs. Weiss must've picked up some of their friends to hold back the Leviathan as best they could when it appeared. Looking back to the now toppled bone tree Ren noticed the shockwaves rippling through the sky as the newborn arrancar was having battle with the Vizards. Reaching out his senses, Ren confirmed that Oscar was on board flying the aircraft as best he could while Yang and Blake for some odd reason was staying back with the Vizards to possibly look out for her sister.

As cold as the thought is, Yang's sisterly affection for Ruby was almost fanatical and Blake probably stayed behind just to look out for the blonde and keep both of them out of the fight. Now back to the current situation at hand with Nora's untimely intervention.

Ren turned back just in time to see Nora and Weiss launch grenades and Dust projectiles into the wound Ren made. Frost exploded with ash and smoke making the joint almost useless. Its deep red eyes were now aimed at the aircraft in pure fury. The Leviathan's right arm blurred in motion at speeds thought impossible for its size. Oscar quickly attempted to swerve away from the blow while Ren casted a low-level Bakudou spell to deflect the arm away.

"Get out of here!" Ren shouted, "I can handle this."

"Oh hell no!" Nora shouted through a megaphone she... just magically had. "You die for eight months and that means you take all the fun?!"

Ren couldn't tell whether to be happy about Nora's odd behavior or frustrated. The Leviathan took its chance to unleash a concentrated ray of fire. It first aimed for Ren who positioned his zanpakuto to split it down the middle until the Grimm turned its aim to the aircraft. Oscar was able to keep just out of its range while Nora pelted it with grenades to stumble the Leviathan's aim. Ren's Kido had a bit more bite to them leveling burns on the Leviathan's body. It was a true testament that Grimm were not regular creatures. Any other animal would've died by such wounds being inflicted, and it only seemed to make the Grimm more ferocious.

The Leviathan eyed the aircraft spinning around it, spitting out fireballs and waving its arms to swat it like a fly. It began to force the aircraft while also trying to ignore the barrage of Kido from Ren. Then it let out a roar so powerful the very air shook from the force and thus the aircraft was trapped. The Grimm took the opening of the disabled aircraft to swat it into a heap of burning metal.

Nora could only watched in shock as the giant hand inched closer to her demise. She closed her eyes at the last second, but the blow never came. She dared to open her eyes, only to widen at the sight of Ren levitating right in front of her holding the giant fist back with his dual bayonets. They didn't even have a crack in them.

'Judging by the strength, this thing could beat a Menos Grande easily.' Ren mused inwardly. He was glad that Grimm could not have the capacity to generate reiatsu or Argus would already be a barren wasteland.

"Stay back." Ren said softly, a ghost of a smile on his lips, "I'll take care of this. Right now. **Hado 58: Tenran."**

From Ren's palms, a horizontal twister manifested and grew to the size of the Leviathan's head to push the Grimm back. The green-clad shinigami made a resolve as he focused massive amounts of reiatsu. The Grimm needed to die now, not while Shao Kin was going on a rampage.

"If I faint, please catch me." Ren asked Nora, who reluctantly nodded. Ren took a deep breath before stretching out his hand to the Leviathan and he began to chant a long verse.

 **"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired..."**

At the end of the chant, the outpouring of Ren's reiatsu that cloaked him in a green aura manifested into several spears of light as long as the aircraft and made of such intense light they were blinding. The occupants in the aircraft were speechless at the pressure they could feel from them.

 **"Hado 91: Senju Koten Taiho."**

With a flick of his hand, the spears raced to the Leviathan first impaling it through the chest. The Grimm gave a pained wail while eyes continued to burn with anger. But that anger diminished when it saw the small human known as Ren levitating in immovable opposition in its path. Its thoughts turned to retreat to age and grow stronger, but the wounds upon its body would not allow the Grimm to move.

"Disappear." Ren muttered before snapping his fingers.

The Grimm nor anybody else could let out a breath as the spears together went up in a tremendous explosion. Ren was able to put down on last Danku barrier to shield them from the shockwave. As it died down, all that as left of the Grimm was a hole in the seafloor and a giant ash cloud. A few seconds later, Ren gave a panted sigh as he fell into the aircraft.

"Okay, not unconscious." Ren mused as Weiss and Nora helped him up. "That's good."

"That... was... AWESOME!" Nora screeched, crushing his arm with her god-like strength. "You're like a walking explosive factory! Just think of all the fun stuff we can have!"

Ren could only have a shiver go down his spine. That was just... a terrifying thought. At least Salem is sane somewhat compared to Nora.

* * *

(Ruby and Ichigo vs. Shao Kin)

The Vizards were completely unprepared by the explosion of power radiating off of the former Vasto Lorde. That was actually the most alarming in the situation. This was an old Vasto Lorde as it had been one for 1,500 years. He was the true testament to the living nightmare that Vasto Lorde represent. His spiritual pressure was beyond captain level, and that was before he suddenly shattered off his mask.

Kisuke was cursing some sort of E-rank luck he was having. He went through the calculations of Hollows trying to become arrancar through natural means of ripping off the mask. The result was that there was a one-in-a-billion chance of a successful transformation, and that's if the arrancar survived. What Shao Kin had was the literal devil's luck pulling off a perfect transformation, increasing his already immense strength. For once, Kisuke was wishing Yoruichi giving him another beating for missing such a scenario.

"Kisuke-" Whatever Rose was going to say was cut off by a buzz of static and the blonde man crashing into the ground. Before he knew it, bones sprouted from the ground catching him in his arms and legs so to prevent using his zanpakuto to break free.

"I can't have the food ruining the main course." Shao hissed in amusement.

 **"Scream, Benihime."**

The wave of red reiatsu never reached its target as Shao Kin disappeared in another buzz of sonido. One-by-one, each of the Vizards were kicked to the ground even before they could summon their masks. The more experienced such as Kensei and Shinji managed to barely dodge the strike.

"Kuso." Shinji swore. **"Collapse-"**

"I don't think so." Shao's voice suddenly spoke in his ear, grabbing his sword arm.

There was a quick twist followed by a loud pop of bone. Shinji bit his lip to force back a cry of agony, but was helpless to stop himself being trapped in the same way of his comrades.

 **"Bastard!"** Roared Kensei with his Hollow mask. **"Blow them away, Tachikaze."**

Kensei's zanpakuto shrunk into a combat knife gathering winds around him. Senna joined him as well, her own zanpakuto released and further amplifying their strength since they used the same element. Shao Kin just waited for their attack, his eyes almost taunting them. As Senna blasted a tornado, Kensei swung in the air launching air blades. The two winds combined in a razor twister. But Shao merely swatted it away with the back of his palm.

In pure speed, he got behind Senna's guard first digging his fist into her gut to knock the air out followed by a high kick to her temple effectively knocking her out with a concussion. Kensei swung a right hook, but was caught in a steel grip.

"You're unique as well." Shao said, squeezing the fist with audible cracks. "Too weak though."

Reiatsu was cupped in Shao's left hand until a cero was blasted point-blank at Kensei's stomach forcing him back until a bone spire grew behind him to crash into. He coughed out blood probably from some of his ribs breaking on impact before more such bone formations wrapped around him.

Kisuke stood stoically against the new arrancar already on a plan to fight. He acted in time parrying a fist with Benihime from a fist to the back of his head. He cringed as his arms shook from the force of the hit. It unnerved the former captain Shao had never used his new naginate, yet his hands struck like daggers and hammers. Kisuke used a quick shunpo to gain distance.

 **"Hado 63: Raikohou."**

A flash of thunder roared from Kisuke's hands and directed at Shao. He braced the Kido spell using his left forearm like a shield. The blast could not pierce and eventually relented to Kisuke's ire. He was starting to hate Hierro.

"I wonder." Mused Shao as Kisuke sensed a surge of reiatsu in his right arm. His eyes shot wide open when blue flames started to form.

 **"Hado 33: Sokatsui."**

"Sonunva-" Cursed Kisuke again at Kami probably taking revenge on breaking his almighty law. He could barely believe it. A Hollow using Kido spells of the shinigami. An arrancar yes, but a Hollow still. It intrigued the scientist, but right now research was not good for his health right now. Kisuke put up his Blood Mist Shield in time and let the fire dissipated.

"Surprised, aren't you shinigami?" Said Shao. "I've fought your kind for over 1,500 years. Did you really think in all that time I wouldn't pay attention to your means? I can assure you, I have very intimate knowledge of your Kido spells."

"Am I supposed to be frightened?" Kisuke retorted.

"Ha-ha-ha." Shao laughed. "You want to be frightened? Then how about this? Your friends over there are slowly dying. The longer they stay in the confines of my bones, their spiritual pressure is sapped away. Let's be honest here. You can't defeat me in time to save them."

As much as Kisuke was loath to admit, he was right. Shao Kin had not only wiped them out before a counter could be made, he also put Kisuke in a trap by singling him out as the biggest threat and giving him an ultimatum. Suddenly, there was a spike of spiritual pressure and Kisuke widened his eyes a bit seeing the buxom blonde and cat girl suddenly appear. If Kisuke remembered right, their names were Yang and Blake, and he was momentarily intrigued by their weapons and the same unique reiatsu they had.

Yang's gauntlets impacted with a bang as its shotgun casing went off and Blake swung down her short cleaver. Shao didn't even bat an eye as his Hierro negated the force entirely. Yang and Blake gasped in pain as Shao struck faster than they could see bruising and instantly shattering their aura. The arrancar dug his fist deep in Yang's gut with enough force to make her cough spittle and blood before smacking both Remnanties away.

"Insects have no place here." Shao said, aiming a cero at the duo. "Turn to dust."

The instant the red flash of the cero was unleashed, Yang's eyes caught the glimpse of white dashing into view. Yang felt the heat of the reiatsu pass harmlessly as the beam was split in two. When the blast cleared, Blake and Yang were spared while the ground at their flank had two deep trenches. In front stood Ruby in her Bankai form, but there was notable bruising and cutting on her hands and her shoulders rose and fell like she was panting.

"Damn." Muttered Ruby. "Guess stupid kinda runs in the family I guess? Thinking that I could just stand in front of a cero?" Ruby locked her silver eyes like orbs of cold steel on Shao Kin. "This fight is between us. Leave them out of this."

Despite the venomous tone, it did nothing to vex Shao Kin but it did make Yang and Blake cringe a little.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Yang spoke, her worry over Ruby increasing seeing her running on fumes.

"You need to get out of here." Ruby said sternly, glancing back at the duo with her wolf ears. "This isn't Torchwick, White Fang, or some Grimm infestation. If you stay, I can't promise that one of us won't accidentally kill you."

"Don't say stuff like that, not when-"

"She wasn't asking." Ichigo's voice suddenly spoke behind Blake and Yang as he put a hand on each of them before using shunpo to get them to Kisuke, and then tell him to go free the Vizards while he and Ruby distract Shao Kin. Even if it meant a Yang-sized punch through his chest (much to Zangetsu's humor).

Meanwhile, Shao Kin took the first attack closing in behind Ruby's guard in a burst of sonido. Her face was caught in his claw-like grip and tossed away like a rag doll. The Huntress braced herself digging her feet into the ground to stop in time to reengage with the arrancar when he followed-up with palm thrust. She just barely managed to hold back the blow inches from her face while holding in a gasp of pain from her arms shaking from the force. The two entered in an exchange of blows, blade against fist but Ruby was none the winner. A palm thrust to her side staggered her, but she blocked the following left hook. Shao Kin flowed from the failed blow into a twist, flattening his right hand and striking her in the ribs then twisting around to land a heavy swipe to her neck just barely blocked with Ruby's own hand. The blow was meant to distract her from a kick to her gut knocking the air out of her lungs. Her vision blurred unable to even see the high kick to the side of her head. Her senses were literally knocked back feeling fists knocking into her stomach. For just a second there was an opening that Ruby took with swinging her glaive from the side, but Shao saw it coming and countered snaking his left hand passed the blade to punch Ruby in the cheek. Two more blows met her face before she actually parried a third to go for her own thrusting her glaive with her left hand. Shao titled to the side and caught Ruby's extended arm. His right arm slid under the limb to strike Ruby's chin sharply, then twisting around in a blur to strike her in the back with an elbow. Ruby turned back with a wide swing, but Shao merely ducked under the glaive and landed quick, sharp, and painful jabs to her chest. Then his hand tightened into a fist and there was a surge of reiatsu.

 **"Nudillo Palido."**

The fist struck like thunder launching Ruby off the ground and crashing through the uprooted roots of the bone tree till she lost enough velocity to get stuck in one. She only managed to cough out a mouthful of blood before Shao grabbed her face ready for the finishing blow.

Ichigo finally made his entrance flanking behind the arrancar with Tensa Zangetsu raised over his head. Shao Kin twisted on his heel pushing the daito to the side with his free forearm then snaking it around to strike a heavy blow to his side. Ichigo let out a small gasp of pain before he too was grabbed at the face. Shao Kin spun into the air with the pair in his hands only to crash down back to earth and run them through the ground at breakneck speeds. He paused momentarily to throw them away in opposite directions with enough force to bury the shinigami in the ground.

While all this was happening, Kisuke went to work immediately on freeing Hachi. In this situation, both his and the Vizard's Kido would be enough to lock down Shao Kin until he could conjure a more permanent solution. He contemplated getting Yoruichi, but remembered she was in one of her "moods" again and would most likely beat him senseless again if he returned empty-handed. It was easier said than done trying to cut at the bone. Steel was like clay compared to the bone confinements, as noted by Benihime's protests to stop or else risking her elegant deadly edge. Yang tried punching with her robotic arm, but immediately stopped when on the first punch there were some audible cracks and sparks flying off on her artificial knuckles. The trio went down on a cold sweat when the Grave King's gaze locked on them.

"I can't have you doing that now." Shao Kin said threateningly.

He took one step before the world became heavier but not from the Hollow. Off to the sides two spires of red-laced black and purple-laced silver erupted from the earth. Yang, Blake, and especially Kisuke could tell by a feel in the air that it was Ruby and Ichigo. While fortunate they were still in the fight, there was something in their presence that instilled fear on the instinctual level. Earlier this power commanded respect, but now it was joined with cold and vicious intent like a predator. Kisuke knew this feeling as a Hollow's reiatsu, but the sheer size of it and the fact their shinigami powers were still present sent out some alarms.

Shao Kin's head whipped back to the spires of reiatsu. The pressure continued growing nonstop, crumbling the earth into a crater. A full-blown grin stretched his face, and wide enough to show his tongue licking his teeth in anticipation. The cattle, the shinigami; they meant nothing to those two that caught his attention. This is what he wanted, a true worthy hunt for his ascension. A battle between souls walking between the lines of two worlds.

* * *

 **I wanted to make this chapter a bit more, but there's just too much action. At least two more chapters of the fight before the conclusion of this arc and possibly the establishment of a new gate between the worlds of Remnant and Earth/Soul Society.**

 **Up next is Chapter 40: Skewer, Empalador.**

 **Stay in touch. Please leave a review. It mean a whole lot.**


	40. Skewer, Empalador

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 40: Skewer, Empalador.**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Two explosions blasted from both sides of Shao Kin, who curiously switched glances between the two. The ground moved out of the way as the black and white forms of Ichigo and Ruby crawled out of the rubble, shrugging off the dirt. Dried blood marked trails on their forehead and the corners of their lips, and bruises ruined pale skin on their hands and wherever skin was visible. But the look in their eyes still burned with the determination and will to go on.

"So that's how it is." Ruby muttered.

"You're different in more than appearance." Ichiogo noted, swiping Tensa Zangetsu to his side. "Ever since you took off you're mask, nothing has been the same about you."

"No," Ruby added, "rather, you're more of a monster than ever."

"Oh please..." Shao retorted. "We're both monsters here."

Ichigo and Ruby only narrowed their eyes, holding their zapakuto in preparation. Off to the sidelines, Yang looked at her sister with a mix of worry, fear, and a bit of awe. No matter how much she wanted, right there wasn't her innocent little sister but the greatest Huntress Remnant has ever seen.

"My, my, it seems Ichigo-san and Ruby-san are about to show their full power." Kisuke noted jovially. "What an exciting prospect to witness."

Blake's eyes widened. "What do you mean by full power? Just how strong are they?"

"If we're going by scale, I'd say the kind of power to level a continent in a few days." Kisuke answered while his fingers worked a Kido spell to free Hachi. "And yet there's so much potential in them, it's terrifying. _So show me what you got."_

Ruby and Ichigo disappeared in a burst of speed, momentarily returning back to sight as their feet pivoted to flank Shao Kin from both sides. White and black worked in tandem, the concept of such opposites coming together a spectacular sight to see. Glaive and daito struck like a clap of thunder, and the pressure cracking the ground into a large crater at their feet. Mazarozu and Zangetsu were held back Shao Kin in his bare hands. Despite the minor drop of blood, he glanced to both shinigami with a sickening smile.

"This is starting to get fun." Shao said.

"Let's teach him a lesson, **Ichigo."** Ruby declared, her Hollow's mask materializing on her face as red eyes glared out the slits.

Ichigo smirked before he summoned his own Hollow mask and his eyes turned a blazing gold. **"Ikuzo!"**

The three disengaged without warning at lightning speeds. As the arrancar backpeddled, Ruby and Ichigo struck again and again in a criss-cross pattern, white and black reiatsu lashing out like bolts of lightning upon each impact and path. To Yang, Blake, and any other human watching all they could see is a flash.

Shao stopped his backpedaling and engaged in hand-to-blade combat. Every swing exchanged was precise and sharp. Red and golden eyes glared on Shao without falter while blade and hand were blurs deflecting and countering in a deadly dance. Shao made a jab toward Ruby, who parried away the arm while at the same time jumping up to land a twisting kick. Shao flipped in midair and landed with a crash on the ground then taking a stance.

"Come!"

The hybrids responded in kind in a shunpo. Ichigo led the opening with a high kick and Ruby flanked behind. Shao knocked Ichigo back to focus on the Huntress instead. Once Ruby was pushed onto the defense, the arrancar lashed out with a strong kick sending the hybrid into the air with a crack on impact. Ruby quickly gained her bearings as she flipped her body and twirled her glaive till she was upside down. In a show of expertise that even veterans would say impossible, Ruby spun her glaive on her foot before shooting it forward like a spear.

'Did she just throw that with her foot?!' Thought Yang.

'Definitely a true student of yours, Yoruichi-chan.' Thought Kisuke.

Shao slapped the white projectile away, but it gave Ichigo to close in behind Shao's guard. Shao dodged a slice for his neck and blocked an elbow jab. The blow was countered with a jab from the arrancar that Ichigo evaded by tilting his head. Another came for his face that Ichigo quickly deflected away with his sword, the sudden parry leaving an opening that Ichigo capitalized on with a flurry of swings from Tensa Zangetsu. Shao Kin moved the blade away as his hands moved in a blur but none could hit Ichigo as he titled his head back. He even blocked a knee from Shao with his own, and with his balance off managed to force Shao's hands away so that Ichigo could land a solid punch to the arrancar's face with a loud crack.

Shao spat out blood, enraged. "How dare-"

Shao didn't get to finish as Ruby returned to the fray kicking him away with the speed of a bullet. In midair, the hybrid pair locked eyes with smirks behind their masks. After a few tumbles off the ground, Shao righted himself and for the first time in the fight drew out his naginate. Ruby and Ichigo dashed forward, their respective reiatsu blazing a trail behind them like lightning. Shao swung first from the right side after Ichigo, who slid under the pale blade. Ruby used shunpo to close onto the opening to thrust her glaive forward. Her blade met the end of Shao's naginate with a high pitch ring of steel, but the force was more than the arrancar could handle with the improper block and was forced back by the pure strength.

Shao spun and swung his weapon in a wide arc giving him breathing room. He anchored the blade of the naginate into the ground to support his body. Once Ruby closed in, Shao jumped off while kicking Ruby with enough force to propel himself into the air. By falling and twirling his weapon Shao was growing the potential strength. The result showed itself when he slammed the blade end down and split the earth in two. The quake reached to all over Argus, crumbling any loose buildings standing.

Fortunately, Ichigo and Ruby emerged from the built up dust with reiatsu blazing off their zanpakuto.

 **"Howaitososa."**

Shao leaned to the right away from a funnel-shaped wave of white and purple reiatsu. He saw Ichigo preparing to unleash his Getsuga Tensho. Catching onto their plan, he raised his naginate in defense... or so he thought.

"As if that would work." Shao gloated.

"Same here." Ichigo said with a smirk as he instead stabbed the black daito into the ground. **"Tsuki no Hogo."**

A pitch black dome of reiatsu trapped Shao with the two hybrids. Sonido buzzed in the air followed by the arrancar being pelted away from the barrier as the dome of reiatsu lashed violently at him when he came close. Shao gritted his teeth in rage, ready to tear the shinigami apart if it meant his freedom. Instead, he was too late to do anything as Ruby stabbed her glaive into the ground.

 **"Bara no Sho."**

What happened next blinded all of Shao's senses except touch, but all he felt was unyielding pain. Silver reiatsu bled into the earth like fire as it spread. White and black spiraled in twisted in a dance of domination in the dome of Ichigo's Tsuki no Hogo until ultimately the inevitable. With two such opposing reiatsus clashing on equal footing, all they could do was collapse and explode. In a split second before, Ichigo and Ruby escaped from the blast zone and watch their work unfold. A mighty geyser of white and black shot up into the air overshadowing Argus in its majesty while the ground was covered in a sheen of white flames that seemed to grow from the earth itself. Most of the unstable energy shot out in random directions, turning all to dust including roots of the bone tree.

Over with Kisuke, the violent reiatsu acted like poison cracking at the bone roots that held Hachi in place.

"Don't worry, Hachi, we're almost there." Kisuke said as he stabbed his zanpakuto through one of the cracks to pry Hachi free.

"If you manage to free me, we will need a quick victory thus a high Bakudo spell will be required." Hachi informed, still having a stoic look despite being trapped.

"Are you sure you have the reserves?" Kisuke wondered.

"Not if I use my mask and you join in the spell." Hachi said. "But we will only have one shot and we can't let this battle drag on."

From the settling dust cloud of the explosion Shao emerged covered in burns while being hurled to the top of the giant bone tree stump. He twisted in midair and ran his feet and hand into the ground to stop his velocity, letting out a ragged breath once he finally stopped. Ichigo and Ruby didn't give him a chance to escape and reappeared in front of him in a burst of shunpo.

Purple reiatsu gathered in Ruby's outstretched right arm forming into the rod of the Bakudou spell of Hyappo Rankan. But instead of throwing it at Shao, Ruby chucked the rod into the air till it stopped its climbing velocity and pointed down. At that point Ruby clasped her right hand together and chanted.

 **"Modified Bakudo 62: Hyappo Rankan Hokai."**

The rod split into hundreds that rained down on Shao like the wrath of the heavens. The Grave King nimbly dodged the barrage in rolls and cartwheels, but received some close calls in the form of tears in his clothes. Too many were coming for him to escape with sonido. In frustration, Shao Kin unleashed his spiritual pressure to the point that a dome of kinetic force repelled all the rods coming to him and now littered the ground with them. Unfortunately, the toll left the arrancar exhausted.

The increase in spiritual pressure snapped Shao to attention and his pale eyes widened seeing the multiple of rods glowing an eerie red. He looked to Ruby who had a grin on her face and she held out her right hand. With a snap of her fingers, all the rods of reiatsu exploded as the spiritual energy contained within them overloaded. A mushroom cloud of ash rose twice as tall as the stump while Shao could be seen being hurled high into the air from the blast. Ruby ascended faster and higher into the air like a flash of white lightning. Until she reached a sufficient height, Ruby slowed down her momentum and aimed down as she spun her glaive by three fingers till it looked the end of her left hand held a silver disk of bright light.

 **"Howaitososa."**

Ruby unleashed the built up reiatsu from her glaive, sending it down like a crescent blade of blinding white destruction. Shao steeled his features and righted his bearings. He poised his zanpakuto over his head, and then waited for the crescent of destruction to reach him at the last second before bringing it down and splitting the reiatsu attack in two. As the two halves soared harmlessly passed him, Shao discovered the charging form of Ichigo who used the **Howaitososa** as cover. He smirked already thinking two steps ahead.

Shao's left hand gripped the pale chain of his zanpakuto and threw it up to Ichigo. The throw was a success as the the long length wrapped around Ichigo's body and trapped his hands in the white steel's grasp. The arrancar took the opening to spear Ichigo through and leave him with one opponent. Then the next he knew, he felt an awkward sensation before darkness took his vision. The next he knew, Shao had somehow found himself in the place of Ichigo, who used his Semblance to switch places.

'NANI!?' Panicked Shao inwardly, completely at a loss of words to say.

Ichigo gave a rare grin to Shao's plight. Instead of attacking, the hybrid allowed gravity to do its work as Ruby soared down like a meteor with a fist cocked back. Shao looked back up only to widen his eyes at the approaching haymaker. The worst of all in this instance was that he was completely helpless trapped in the chains of his own zanpakuto.

"Son of a bi-"

 **"Kurikara Fudo Uchi!"**

Ruby's right fist impacted like thunder, followed by Shao blurring and crashing into the stump with enough force to split it in two. He rebounded off crashing through the roots of the trees.

"Now that's a freaking punch." Yang commented full of pride seeing her little sister finally able to deal out damage the old-fashioned way.

Ichigo and Ruby grimaced as a wave of exhaustion swept through their bodies and the edges of their masks started to crack. Ruby turned to where Kisuke was and charged her voice box with reiatsu to enhance it like a megaphone.

 **"Kisuke,"** Ruby roared, the hiss of a Hollow carrying along, **"we need something right now. We're at our limit."**

Whether Kisuke heard or not, he was too busy to reply as he pried one last time and freed Hachi from his bindings. This was their perfect chance to deal one last blow now that Shao was weakened enough from the battle. The Kido masters crouched in sync and slammed their hands into the ground, Hachi summoning his mask for added effect.

 **"Bakudo 98: Wakusei Hakai."**

Their reiatsu ran through the earth itself, commanding rock and stone for one single purpose. Gravity abandoned its hold as countless boulders tore from the ground and clumped together around Shao in midair. Yang and Blake watched in shock and terror as two people literally tore the land itself to their will. Layer upon layer of rock buried Shao via the core till a small, perfectly round asteroid now occupied the sky.

Hachi and Kisuke were not done as they channeled one last bit of reiatsu into one last binding seal. **"Wall of iron sand, Tower formed from hate, forge molten iron and neatly finish in silence! Bakudo 75: Gochu Tekkan."**

Two sets of five iron pillars connected by chains were summoned from the manifested reiatsu and wrapped around the asteroid until the pillars nailed themselves at random points and the chains tightened on the rock.

Shao's hold broke, freeing the rest of the Vizards. Ruby and Ichigo led out a breath of relief. Exhaustion soon took over unable to keep them up in the air and their mask shattered into dust. Fortunately, Shinji and Kensei shunpoed in time to catch them mid-fall and allow themselves to be their crutch on the ground.

"Amazing." Blake gapsed in awe

Yang chuckled dryly. "Was there any doubt since Ruby was on the case?"

Blake looked to Yang with a blank look. "Yang, all we know until now doesn't compare to this. Gods, demons, the afterlife. This is just... out of this world."

"Quite shocking, isn't it?" Kisuke said, his hat shadowing his features. "This is why we hide our war from mortals. They simply can't handle with the concept of powers that shake the world. Now normally I would erase your memories of all this..."

Yang and Blake instantly paled at his words, more for the blonde because Kisuke could potentially make him forget about her sister being alive again.

"...but I'll leave that to Ruby to handle." Kisuke said in a merry tone while waving his fan. "This is her world after all. Though I don't know how you're going to handle damage control."

To emphasize his point, he gestured to the scarred land itself. In total, Argus was decimated in a seven block radius from the shore. The crater left by Ruby, Ichigo, and Shao Kin was nothing but ashen earth. The environment itself was crippled from the bone tree absorbing its lifeforce into reiatsu. It is only by some cosmic entity either by Kami or Remnant's gods that Argus could come back unlike what happened to Vale and Beacon. What made it so terrifying was that this was all caused by only three people by themselves.

Ruby and Ichigo collapsed from the strain on their bodies and their depleted strength. The entire fight stretched the time limit of their masks, more so since it was the first time. Even Ruby's wolf ears relaxed back into her head.

Suddenly, the calm was shattered by an audible crack in the Bakudo spell. It was so small that no ordinary human would sense it, much less the killing intent that radiated like a flood. Kisuke, the Vizards, snapped their eyes to the floating asteroid. There was crack as long as a face and half as wide on the surface where they saw a pale eye burning with hate. The ground shook heavily as spiritual pressure was unleashed without restraint, and Shao's eyes glowed golden.

 **"Skewer, Empalador!"**

All at once, bright yellow reiatsu erupted out of the asteroid like a volcanic eruption. Boulders of earth crashed down and the steel chains shattered into dust. A few seconds later, the whole asteroid completely imploded sending out an avalanche of dust and ash through the air. Those who didn't have spiritual pressure had to anchor themselves down with whatever they had while blocking their eyes from flying debris. But a sudden pulse dissipated the cloud into the clearing it once was.

Floating in the air was Shao Kin in what can be described as evolved. Multiple spins of bone the width of an arm sprouted out of his back and arched over his shoulder. His forehead now sported a proper pair of white horns painted black at the roots. His eyes were now a molten gold including the pupil with a black tattooing surrounding his eyes and going horizontally across like war paint. The sleeves of his hakama were gone revealing rippling muscle with the forarms and hand remained white while black painted his skin from his shoulder to his elbows. A loose, tattered robe went down his shoulders, momentarily revealing a body of hardened muscle painted black over the chest area and his Hollow hole visible for all to see. Sharp teeth flashed from Shao's predatory grin feeling the overwhelming in his body, and his fingers sported razor nails. His zanpakuto was gone, fused to his body to unseal the true power of the arrancar.

The arrancar stood still for a moment as he basked himself in an aura of golden reiatsu. The Vizards froze on the spiritual pressure that dwarfed his earlier power. Ichigo growled in frustration for he and Ruby were hardly able to go a Round 2 after trying to force reiatsu out of their bodies. Yang, Blake, and any Remnantie watching lost feeling in their legs not because of the spiritual pressure but how hope was snatched away from them.

"So then..." Shao muttered as he raised his right hand. The ground rumbled for a moment before branches of bone erupted from the earth. They stopped at Shao's height to reveal themselves as bone constructs with the faces of tigers with an array of sharp teeth and hollow black eyes. The necks counting five in total moved with the flexibility of flesh. "Shall we try again?"

This time he didn't bother with getting rid of the "side" courses. Let them draw their swords, call their names, and summon their masks. They shall come and they shall all fail.

* * *

 **Done. Nough said.**

 **Next is Chapter 41: Awaken Zangetsu.**

 **Stay in touch. Leave a review please.**


	41. Awaken True Zangetsu

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter: Awaken True Zangetsu**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

The Vizards ascended as one, zanpakuto drawn on the Grave King. Hachi was too exhausted to support his comrades, which left Kisuke the only Kido specialist. The professor chose to go straight for the charge but also on caution to evaluate Shao's capabilities. On first glance, his bone manipulation was taken leagues beyond once he released his zanpakuto, if the chant from earlier was anything to go by.

Out of the Vizards, Kensei took the direct charge followed by Shinji to avenge himself from his earlier defeat. He didn't hold anything back, letting his already captain-level reiatsu lashing out like a wave breaking a dam. His spiritual pressure weighed down on the air as it continued to increase. The Vizards' masks were summoned, some even calling their Shikai. Kensei decided to go even a step further.

(Que Bleach ost "Treachery" or "Invasion")

 **"Bankai."**

A lion head lunged towards Kensei and clamped its jaws shut on the burly man. It was only for a short moment before pure sky blue reiatsu tore through the head. Nothing was left of the bone creation, and in its place was a tornado of reiatsu slowly calming down. An arm swept through and parted the winds revealing Kensei unharmed and at his maximum power.

The former shinigami captain no longer brandished the trench knife of his zanpakuto. In each of Kensei's hands was a pair of large knuckle blades with the edges tapering off at either side. A purple band wraps the entirety of his arms till they make a thick band that hangs over his head.

 **(One of my favorite Bankai in the show, as well as Kensei as a character.)**

 **"Tekken Tachikaze."**

 _'Those things are awesome.'_ Ruby squealed inwardly.

 _'I need to get me one of those.'_ Yang thought in slight envy.

Another head of a lion charged down to clamp its jaws upon Kensei, only for the former captain to pull his fist back and punch it into dust. He kicked off the air with hoho to rush the empowered arrancar with the blade knuckles of **Tekken Tachikaze**. He was an arm's reach away until his instincts screamed at him of danger. Kensei broke his charge in time to avoid one of the spines that had writhed and grown intent on skewering him. Shao didn't even look at him, but his bone protrusions shifted with a mind of their own.

Any of the other Vizards that came close were swatted away as his spines grew to try and skewer them. Hiyori's small size gave her the advantage of being hard to target. She rushed passed the spines as they came forward, and none came back to chase her if Shao wanted his bones to tangle themselves. With her mask summoned, Hiyori smashed down her zanpakuto to cleave Shao's head. In mid-swing, Hiyori chanted her zanpakuto's release.

 **"Butcher them, Kubikiri Orochi."**

In a flash, Hiyoir's zanpakuto transformed into a giant serrated cleaver larger than the blonde's petite size. At the last second, Shao blocked the giant cleaver with the back of his right hand. There was so much force from Hiyori's attack an air circle was visible in the air between them, but the arrancar's hand didn't even bleed.

"Pathetic." Shao sneered.

 **"How about this?!"** Kensei cried, taking the small opening and launched a strong hook to Shao's jaw.

The Bankai knuckle blades held far more power than a Shikai, sending Shao far through the air. Shao gathered reiatsu at his feet and anchored them into the air itself to stop his velocity. He lifted his head, revealing a straight face with a very small bruise at the corner of his lips. There was just a slight annoyance in his eyes as Shao wiped the spot.

"Is that all?" Shao said in a bored tone.

Shao pointed a finger at Hiyori and the fingertip produced a red orb laced in red.

 **"Cero Obscuras."**

A mighty ray of pure reiatsu like a cannon bigger than himself and holding far more power than a regular cero. Kensei pulled Hiyori out just in time for the cero to graze pressed them. It continued into t hy e distance to a far off mountain. A great bang and flash of an atomic explosion followed and the mountain was no more.

"N-No way." Gasped Yang. "He just blew that whole mountain away. "

There was so much raw power permeating through the air it felt like they were moving through mud. It seemed the heavens themselves were bending to their will as thunderclouds gathered in the sky.

The Vizards jumped into action. Kensei and Hiyori took the direct charge to catch Shao's attention while those like Shinji, Lisa, Love, and Rose flanked from behind. Shao knew he was being flanked but he didn't bother glancing back at them. His lion head constructs rose their heads at the approaching Vizards. A red glow resonated from their jaws. Love was the only one that was perceptive enough to sense the build up of reiatsu and theorzed what it could be.

"Get behind me!" Exclaimed Love, his fellow Vizards complying. **"Slam, Tengumaru."**

Love's zapakuto transformed into a giant, spiked iron club twice his width. He held it horzontally in front of himself. As he guessed, the tiger has unleashed a cero from each of them. Love's giant club blocked the ceros without much effort but it left them unable to move as the heads decided to close in.

 **"Play, Kinshara."**

Rose's called out his zanpakuto changing it from a kitana into a golden, rodded whip ending in a golden flower design. With a flick of his wrist, the whip snaked around Love and destroyed the heads before they reached them. The heads crumbled into dust filled by the rest of the constructs' body.

"Thanks, Rose." Love said.

Rose smiled. "Think nothing of it, old friend."

Back with Shao, he faced down Hiyori and Kensei drawing bokkens made of bones. The short blonde was ferocious but predictable, making swatting away her cleaver easy to the Grave King. In fact, her fury grew as Shao was ignoring her like she was nothing.

Shao parried a heavy jab and directed Kensei's arm over his shoulder. He snaked his right arm to grap Kensei's shoulder and twist him around. Kensei rolled through the velocity to throw an uppercut. It impacted Shao's chin sending him a few feet into the air. The arrancar stopped himself again with hoho and lowered his chin back down from the blow. There was a visible bruise just beneath Shao's lip, indicating that Kensei had indeed dealt sufficient damage. The Hollow's regeneration quickly negated it.

"I commend you." Shao said. "You definitely earn yourself the title of a shinigami captain."

Shao disappeared in a buzz. It was only Kensei's instincts of battle that allowed him to defend the forward thrust aimed at his chest. He had to step back out the range of his own weapons when Shao summoned the bokkens again. First came an overhead slash that served as an opening followed by a barrage of quick thrusts from the remaining bokken. Kensei could keep track of the attacks thanks to his spiritual pressure at peak via Bankai, but he could not keep up with speed for long. Simply blocking them as the bone bokkens came closer to certain death would not get him anywhere.

But Shao is right; Kensei is indeed a captain for good reason. He briefly thought back to his days as a shinigami and harnessing his spiritual pressure. One such lesson involved a crucial rule when in battle. Against a battle of spiritual pressures, the winner is decided by both the superior reserves and control. Kensei was sure of himself that even before his banishment from Soul Society his spiritual pressure was impressive to give him an intimidating presence. He was after all known as the wielder of the strongest wind-type zanpakuto, but in more ways than one.

 _'And to think you almost forgot the most basic yet most important lesson I taught you'_ Spoke the spirit of Kensei's partner, Tachikaze. _'Wind doesn't just blow away. It can cut cleanly like the sharpest of zanpakuto.'_

Kensei returned back to reality just as Shao was swinging a left slash. He concentrated his spiritual pressure, focused on his blade knuckles, and sharpened as a blade on a whetstone. Instead of blocking the bokken, Kensei met it with his blade knuckle in mid-swing. There was a clang of steel and to Shao's shock his bokken turned to dust on contact. He abandoned his other bokken knowing that the Vizard would not fall for it and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. To the arrancar's ire, Kensei was specialized in hakuda and, unlike Ichigo and Ruby, had decades more experience.

Kensei threw the first fist that Shao cut by the wrist. The arrancar thrusted a flat hand to Kensei's neck who tilted his head away. Before Shao could continue, Kensei sent a jab with his right knuckle blade first to crush bone under the arrancar's shoulder. Just before impact, a bone grew out of the shoulder to stop it in its path.

Interrupting the two suddenly was Hiyori as she gave a war cry that revealed her position behind Shao. The spines on his back grew branches of bone that stopped her cleaver like she had struck a block of iron. The fact that she couldn't break through it even with her mask on irritated Hiyori.

"Children should not be here among adults." Shao said, make Hiyori froth at the mouth.

She would not be able to let out her string of curses as Shao pointed her thumb at the blonde. A familiar orb of reishi gathered at the tip of the finger.

 **"Cero."**

In a flash of red, Hiyori was blasted away high into the air. When the blast dissipated, Hiyori fell from the sky in smoke and crashed into a crater. Her mask was fractured on impact, revealing the blonde unconscious.

 **"Dammit."** Cursed Kensei, only to stop dead as Shao put a hand on Kensei's chest.

"Your next." Said Shao before he charged another cero.

Luckily for Kensei, Shinji arrived in time to push Kensie out of the way before Shao unleashed a cero that only struck the earth. Shao summoned another bone bokken and engaged Shinji in kendo. Shao could tell that out of all the Vizards, Shinji was overall the most powerful as he able to keep pace with Shao with just his mask on as of now. Smirking, Shao manipulated the spines on his back to stretch and grow around and over him, striking him like vipers. It pushed Shinji to his limit parrying all the attacks from all angles when he just wielded on blade.

 _'Sakanade, why couldn't you be a duel-type zanpakuto?'_ Shinji whined internally.

"Impressive skills you have with a blade." Shao complimented

He held out both arms that grew thick, sharp spikes all across their length. Shinji widened his eyes as after a static buzz he was clotheslined. His only saving grace from being a pincushion was his zanpakuto, but he felt the bones in his arms rattle from just the strength alone in the bone. Shao gave a heave before sending Shinji back to the earth with a tumble.

Shinji dropped right by Kisuke's feet, who has done nothing but watch the fight. The blonde's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. He knew that the scientist was up to something but his antics were infuriating when he just stood there.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Shinji barked.

"I am doing my part." Answered Kisuke nonchalantly. "I am observing."

"You're just watching getting our asses handed to us." Shinji snapped.

"Well, I'll help once I find a weakness." Kisuke retorted, a shadow casting over his eyes. "His defenses are outstanding. Whatever power over bones the arrancar is using, he doesn't need to directly control them. They can act on their own accord if he is in imminent threat."

"That would explain how he could control those heads." Shinji reluctantly agreed.

Either the bones had big ears or Kami hated them, several more lion heads crashed out of the ground. Their fangs glowed with reishi to effortlessly rend whatever was in their way. Shinji let out a string of curses holding out his blade to fire a cero of his own. Hollow reiatsu channeled into the sealed form of his zanpakuto, giving it a rich red glow.

 **"Cero."**

Unlike a massive laser of pure reiatsu, Shinji's cero fired off his blade like a broadside of blasts from the edge of his blade smaller than a cero but bigger than a bala. Shinji had a little triumph that his cero was able to kill the first that came in contact with the cero before a cloud of dust hid the scene away. But the some of the lion heads as they used the dust cloud to hide away their charge before it was too late with ceros at the ready in their jaws.

A hail of silver reishi bullets blasted over the heads of Kisuke and Shinji crumbling the rest of the lion heads into dust before they could release the reiatsu blasts. Kisuke glanced behind him to Ruby on her glaive aimed forward like a gatling gun. Her limbs were shaking like jelly and her breaths were labored unable to fully recover the much needed energy she needed for the fight. Already, her left knee gave out from the stress and Ruby was forced to use her glaive like a crutch to keep herself straight.

"Barely... hanging on..." Panted Ruby.

Ichigo especially wasn't idle. Pure willpower was the only thing that kept his body from collapsing from exhaustion. He lazily waved his hand over his face, but waited for Shao to make an opening knowing full well that he needed all the power to strike at one point. Anything else like using shunpo was at this point a detriment and would only cost them the hope of victory if Ichigo didn't have the reserves.

"I don't care what it takes." Cried Ichigo. "We just need an opening. One opening and I can throttle him with everything I've got."

Ruby smirked, bending down in a stance. "I think I may just give you that. I might not have enough reiryoku left, but that doesn't mean I'm out of tricks yet."

In the blink of an eye, Ruby dashed away at non-shunpo but still blinding super speeds with her Semblance. She circled around the battlefield while eyeing above to the fight as she saw Lisa momentarily clash with Shao. It turned on the Vizard as bone pikes sprouted out of random parts of the arrancar's body to try and stab her. Kensei joined the assault smashing through the bones with his Bankai. Shao's attention switched almost exclusively on the former captain since out of the Vizards he revealed to be the most important threat since he was going on full power with both Bankai and his Hollow mask summoned.

Seeing his attention focused, Ruby took her chance and fired a low-level shot of reishi to grab his attention. Unfortunately, her reserves were still too low to even match a Dust bullet and the reishi didn't even reach Shao. Ruby gritted her teeth in frustration and aimed her glaive again like a rifle. Sweat poured down her face forcing more reiatsu into the glaive even as her body practically screamed to stop. She was about to fire until a hand from an outside party stopped grabbing Ruby's attention.

The hybrid looked to her right and widened her eyes seeing Qrow standing right beside her. He hid it well behind a smile, but even he was panting keeping himself straight under the spiritual pressure going wild. Hardened experience and tolerance were what kept the Huntsman on his feet.

"Uncle Qrow?!" Exclaimed Ruby. "What are you doing here?! Why are you here?! You can't-"

"Shh, shh, shh." Qrow hushed putting his finger to Ruby's lips. "Be it life, death, or whatever in between, you are still that little knucklehead."

"But why are you here?" Shouted Ruby, her voice slightly drowned from an explosion as Shao fired a cero and a lion head crashed into the earth. "As you can see, I - I don't know what you can do. This is a fight I don't want you getting mixed up in, and you - you could get hurt and I - I don't know if I can save you in the middle of all of that."

"Ruby," Qrow interrupted sternly, "do you know what we Huntsmen and Huntresses are meant to do? You know it, and I know it. It's not just killing Grimm or upholding justice. It is as simple as this. We help people when they need us wherever they needs us, no matter the cost or the danger. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Ruby's head hinged to the ground thinking back to her first encounter with Ozpin that got her into Beacon. It seemed that turning point in her life was years ago, leading up to the formation of Team RWBY and the journey across the world to Haven.

"Alright good talk." Qrow said, nonchalantly and unfolded Harbinger into its gun form. "So what suicidal tactic are we trying?"

"I was going to shoot at him to draw his attention." Ruby informed.

"That's it?" Qrow exclaimed incredulously.

"I don't know!" Cried Ruby. "I'm trying to get an opening on him. Maybe distract him or make fun of him. I'm just making this up as I go."

Qrow sighed and mumbled. "Be it a good day to die I guess."

Qrow took aim at Shao and Harbinger thundered as it unleashed its buckshot soaring through the air. It was invisible to naked eye, probably due to the use of Air Dust in Qrow's weaponry. The next second Shao was clouded away in an explosion of smoke in time when Kensei and Lisa disengaged.

The smoke cleared and of course Shao didn't have a scratch on him but the explosive Dust rounds tore apart his shirt leaving the Grave King topless. His gaze was solely on the uncle and niece pair with the former having a nervous smile.

"I think you made him mad blowing up his clothes." Ruby said.

"Don't point the blame on me!" Hissed Qrow.

"So even the insects bother me, the God King of Hollows." Said Shao.

A metaphorical light bulb lit up in Ruby's head. She stepped forward in front of Qrow and glanced back to him to mouth, 'Prepare to run.'

"Is this really the best the power of a god can do?" Ruby goaded. "It is quite frankly... disappointing."

Qrow instantly paled at Ruby's words getting the desired effect. Gold reiatsu brimmed off Shao's body and released waves of pure foce through the air. His hands tightened to the point his very joints were groaning under the pressure. Veins of rage bulged on his temples and his brows twitched over veined eyes. Out of his back grew wide branches of bone forming into giant hands three times his own size. In each palm was prepared a sharp nail of bone thicker than Ruby's torso all aimed to skewer her.

Qrow was already long gone into the scene.

With a flick of his wrist, the bone nails came down like missiles. Ruby concentrated, sacrificing her use of her reiatsu to focus on her Semblance and her eyes as they glowed white. In a burst of petals Ruby disappeared from the ground as the first plowed into the ground where she once stood. Ruby felt her body was burning pushing her Semblance to the limits while using said Semblance on dangerously low reserves. Her form was blurry appearing only as a cloud of rose petals jumping from nail to nail to reach Shao Kin. The gold eyes of the arrancar were glaring down at the ground but oblivious to Ruby's approach in his rage. It was too late to realize that less than ten second later Ruby was right in front of the arrancar, her silver eyes unleashing blinding light.

"NOW!" Ruby signaled.

As Ruby used the last of her light to blind Shao, Ichigo put on last charge with Zangetsu burning in black reiatsu. Shao, in his rage, surrendered to the instincts of the Hollow and lashed out backslapping Ruby back to the earth. At last moment, Shao extended his right hand towards Ichigo and in his rage formed a black-laced red cero while cutting his arm via his bone manipulation to draw blood into it.

 **"Getsuga Ransu."**

 **"GRAN REY CERO OBSCURAS!"**

The wind was swept away across the city has the two spiritual pressures battled for dominance. But it was for a moment before a loud crack echoed across the field followed by a black cero splitting the sky in two. A squinted eye could see the smoking body of Ichigo falling from the sky and into the ocean.

But Ruby did not need to see it. As she stared broken at the direction of the cero her eyes trailed to a fallen black shard that used part of Tensa Zangetsu, now shattered into pieces.

"ICHIGO!"

* * *

(Ichigo's Mindscape)

Ichigo woke up with a startle in his mindscape. To his absolute horror, he was drowning in a bottomless sea unable to move his body to reach the surface. All around him he saw that even the towers of the once mighty city that made up his mindscape weren't able to spared from the flooding. He found he still had a grip on his daito but when he looked to his hand all he saw was the guard, grip, and a black jagged shard.

 _'There's no way!'_ Ichigo thought frantically as he stared at the broken blade that used to be Tensa Zangetsu. _'That seriously didn't just happen.'_

"Unfortunately, that is what happened." Spoke the voice of his partner, Juha Bach.

Ichigo felt his body lift through the ocean until he broke the surface. There was no light from the sun that used to shine down now that black thunderclouds hid it away and sent down a terrifying storm of the likes of the wrath of Susanno. His eyes picked up the tattered cloak at the corner of his vision. He turned expecting Juha Bach but was not expecting a completely teenage version of the imposing Quincy spirit himself. This younger version of Juha Bach had a more adolescent jaw-line structure, flowing black hair, and smooth skin but still kept that piercing gaze.

"J-Juha Bach!?" Said Ichigo. "You look... different."

 **"He's not the only one."**

There was a buzz of static followed by the appearance of a second figure. He was as tall as Ichigo wearing a white version of Ichigo's Bankai outfit with black fur lining the neckline. The most eye-catching was the terrifying horned mask with black marks going down and above the eyes and the horns pointing forward to further increase its intimidating presence.

 **"Let me guess, I look damn handsome looking like this."** Joked Zangetsu with a soft chuckle.

Ichigo widened his eyes when he had a sense of familiarity with the mask. "I-Is that what I look like-"

 **"When you go bat shit crazy, yes."** Zangetsu said. **"For all intends and purposes, I think it's badass."**

Ichigo's only response was to twitch his brow in irritation.

 **"Don't give that look and pretend you don't like it."** Zangetsu said. **"I'm part of you, remember?"**

Ichigo decided to drop the subject and stare at his broken Bankai blade. The feeling he got from it was entirely different when his Shikai breaks. This time he felt it to his very soul. It always seemed that his Bankai was unbreakable.

"Did this seriously just happen?" Ichigo said.

"Indeed it has." Said Juha Bach. "Unlike a Shikai, when a Bankai breaks it can never be repaired and your soul loses the power it once had." Before Ichigo could frown in slight depression, Juha Bach continued. "But given your unique situation, you still have hope to regain your power. In fact, that isn't the true limits of your zanpakuto, and even your Bankai was nowhere close to your full potential."

"Not even my full power?" Gasped Ichigo. "Let me guess, your work."

"Regrettably so." Juha Bach said, extending his hand. "But now I realize conflict is inevitable, and I will not let you stand alone. The time has come, Ichigo Kurosaki, to realize your full potential."

 **"It's time to make a choice, King."** Said Zangetsu oddly sagely, also extending his hand. **"You are the embodiment of the impossibility of Quincy, shinigami, and hollow, but will you choose? What path will you walk knowing you have power like no one else before?"**

If it was a different Ichigo from a few months back, the choice would leave him stuck in his own mindscape. But Ichigo was not one to think so narrowly. As a being of three spiritually powerful entities, Ichigo needed to be open-minded to the world around him. He knew, unlike some shinigami, that the world is not black and white. Shinigami and possibly even Hollows have the capacity for both evil and good.

"It's obvious." Ichigo answered, grabbing both Zangetsu _and_ Juha Bach. "I need both of you. I can't function without the other. In order to protect what I value precious, I must be willing to inflict pain as well. In my eyes, you are both my blade, my partner, Zangetsu."

Juha Bach smiled as he and the Hollow Zangetsu transformed into black and white reishi gathering into Ichigo's hands. More and more spiritual gathered as the reishi slowly solidified into definite shapes while at the same time the ocean the flooded his world began to drain away. Instinct from his Hollow side gave him the needed knowledge of both worlds of his power. Blue, red, black, and white swirled around Ichigo's body like a maelstorm. His hands tightened on a still-forming grips of his new zanpakuto, and he received a calling from them in response that they were ready to answer to the guardian's call.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry that I've been late in updating this story. It all comes down from final exams, my start of college life in September, and then the occasional writer's block. I've also been dedicated to the other stories on my profile, and have even been thinking of starting new ones despite the increased workload. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next is the final clash.**

 **Up next is Chapter 42: Black God and White God**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	42. Black God and White God

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 42: Black God and White God**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

All that Ruby could see was red and all she could feel was a pressure on her very mind that pushed her far over the edge. Even Cristina's voice was an echo to Ruby, and her silver eyes darkened and the iris bleeding red as they glared at Shao. He took _her_ Ichigo away, a person who managed to take a very special place in her heart. She was so inexperienced with love, and yet her time with the orange-haired teenager was a heavenly experience for her. She understood the concept of the love of friends and family, but Ichigo was far more different.

The thought of losing him brought out Ruby's dark side that was pure power led by carnage. Not even Cristina could keep control since this wasn't sentient but instinct.

Black and violet reiatsu swirled around Ruby as her eyes turned blood red among pitch black. Her glaive groaned in her tightening hold as the reiatsu flowed into the white weapon, dulling its once brilliant gleam. Dark violet reiatsu burned off like a flame off the blades. The power of a Hollow was cold as ice going through her veins of blood. She disappeared in a burst of static and faster than anyone on the field reappeared getting the drop on Shao. With a guttural roar she slammed down her glaive like a hammer and thunder cracked on impact. There was an explosion of the vile energy followed by Shao crashing into the earth.

Ruby smashed down and grabbed Shao by his neck to then slam him down. She picked him up again to bat him away with a wild swing of her glaive in one hand. Shao had to slit thorns of bone through his heel to anchor into the ground to stop his velocity. Next, the arrancar grew out his entire spine from and pulled out a pale double-edge broadsword of bone wielded in two hands.

Like a bullet Ruby was on him again in rabid madness. Unlike before where she attacked with grace and brilliance, Ruby swung her glaive wildy, relentlessly, and lacking aim. Technique was abandoned for savagery because Ruby only wanted one thing in this fight. She wanted to see this filth dead, dead, dead!

But as her crimson eyes glared at Shao's golden orbs with her massive killing intent, she didn't see the fear. She wanted this so-called king and god to be in terror of his demise, to know that his actions brought on his suffering at her hands and to know exactly he should fear as his own life was snuffed in her own hands. Yet, there was none of that except of a maniacal gleam as though Shao had won the lottery. Her Hollow having overtaken her mentality, it all served to boil Ruby's blood in fury.

To just insult Ruby's vengeance and further bring out the beast, Shao roared in laughter. "HA-HA-HA-HA. This is it! This is what I've been looking for! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Magnificent! This is the peak of us Hollows. Unstoppable. Indomitable. Pure savagery and supremacy that none can surpass. Show me more! Show me more of your hatred."

 _ROOOA **AAAR!**_

Ruby unleashed a bellowing roar of one that belongs to a great beast of epic power. Her wolf mask formed over her face followed by the addition of curling horns of her Vasto Lorde form. The ground crumbled just at her voice alone and the Vizards were struggling just to keep themselves in place from the oppressive spiritual pressure Ruby was releasing. It was worse for the Remnanties as though their living nightmares were screaming into their heads, but even more so for Yang and Blake present. Blake was in a full submissive stance with all four of her limbs on the ground whimpering in fear unable to even look in the way of Ruby from the sheer killing intent. And Yang was probably the worst out of everyone as she was physically unable to move her eyes away from her sister. She wanted to see her Ruby Rose, her little sister was a total geek with weapons and an addict to cookies and strawberries. Yet at the same time there was a voice in her head that screamed monster every second Yang looked to the hybrid. Her mind was quite literally splitting in two from the trauma of seeing the Ruby she knew growing becoming into something that was just so - demonic.

Every swing of Ruby's glaive carved a trench into the ground that carried on for tens of meters. Each impact carried too much strength for Shao to effectively counter, but he couldn't help being so thrilled. The power from this soul was making him drool and he wanted more. In the split seconds between the clashes of their weapons, Shao eyes spotted an opportunity to get what he wanted.

Shao disappeared in a buzz of static a microsecond later. Ruby looked around frantically too engrossed in her wrath to use her sensing abilities. It was Shao in the end calling out to her and Ruby snapped her head around. Her red eyes widened behind the mask as she saw Shao holding Yang by her neck with a sharp bone aimed at her back.

"It seems these poor souls that you so dearly protect are barely alive under our spiritual pressure." Shao mocked. "But what is another lifeless pile of flesh any consequence? Better to put this one out of her misery."

That's when Ruby snapped, her eyes dilating to a dot almost. The world went in slow motion as she watched Shao pulled his arm back to impale Yang. Black reiatsu swelled and erupted around her, then turning violet before completely shrouding her in a mass of spiritual pressure. Faster than even Shao the mass of reiatsu closed the distance between them and swiped Yang from his grasp.

Yang blinked to the sudden cold feeling around her waist only to have her vision filled with purple. She glanced behind her to see a black arm wrapped around her waist holding her like baggage, and her eyes trailed up the limb only to stop in shock. Her heart just stopped seeing Ruby's chest erupt in blood and a hollow hole took its place.

 ** _ROOOOAAAR!_**

Right before Yang's eyes Ruby turned into that - _thing_ again. Everything about the monster holding her was just so vile from the horned mask and the blood red eyes that had no sentience to them. The maw opened to let out a blood curdling howl followed by the growth of a violet orb between the horns.

Kisuke was absolutely floored by the sheer spiritual pressure from the Vasto Lorde. No, not even a Vasto Lorde would come close to this walking calamity. He never imagined that Ichigo or even Ruby held such massive spiritual pressure that he ever felt in his life. The former captain would be ranked as top tier among Soul Society, but he could only feel he was a tiny drop compared to this sea of power rolling off of Ruby. It made sweat roll down his face and his heart pound in terror. Worst of all, Kisuke's brilliant mind was completely blank on what to do.

"Yes, that's it!" Cried Shao, ecstatic. "Compassion is unnecessary. Let your heart disappear into an endless void. Embrace the darkness. Turn anything you desire into dust."

Ruby's response in her berserk state was to give another howl and the cero between her horns grew bigger till she unleashed in a devastating blast that sucked in the light of the battlefield. Shao still grinned before disappearing with sonido at the last second and watched as the giant cero sailed over the city to the landscape in the distance. As it passed, the horizon of mountains and forests erupted in massive explosions that would have taken a number of his ceros to even accomplish.

"That's it, show me more!" Shao egged on. At this point, he didn't care if he couldn't grab this power for himself because he just wanted to be able to witness this wonder in his eyes that was the peak of what Hollows can be. He may loathe to admit it, but right there within the body of that shinigami was a truer Hollow than even himself; a walking god meant for destruction. It made Shao insane with glee. "Show me more of your wonderful power!"

Shao purposely positioned himself lower to the city so the next cero from Ruby will ultimately destroy the populace. An even bigger cero started to charge between her horns. Yang knew that Ruby would never hurt innocent people, so she knew that she wasn't the one behind the wheel to say. If there's one thing she was best at, it was snapping her sister to attention.

"Ruby, stop!" Yang shouted with all her willpower through the killing intent the Vasto Lorde was emitting. "You are in control of yourself. Not this thing! So snap out of it!"

It seemed the Vasto Lorde faltered in her actions as those red eyes trailed to a pair of lilac. The glare alone was almost enough to make Yang pass out from terror alone, but she held onto hope in all that bloodlust was her sister. It also gave enough time for a scared shitless Kisuke to swipe Yang away from Ruby's clutches with a few quick bursts of shunpo.

"What are you waiting for!?" Shouted Shao. "Don't you want me dead?! Listen to your instincts and give in to your rage. Make me suffer. Do it!"

She wanted to. Ruby wanted to everything he shouted so badly that her body was shaking in anticipation. She's a Hollow after all so she should be allowed to, right!? Hollows are just beings of savagery, carnage, and hatred so it was just all natural. Yet, Ruby thought back to Cristina the living embodiment of what a Hollow is. On the first she filled the category of bloodthirsty, hateful, and sadistic, but there was far more to it than that when Ruby treated Cristina not as a Hollow. At her core, Cristina wasn't that different from, well, anybody. Twisted, yet oddly human.

 _'It doesn't have to be this way!'_

The cero dissipated to Shao's surprise and Ruby wrenched one of the horns off her head. It started a chain reaction of her Hollow body chipping off to her real skin underneath while the Hollow transformation struggled to keep itself alive.

"You' **re** **wro** ng." Said Ruby, her voice distorted between gurgling and growling. "You **may** b **e** correc **t th** at **Holl** ows don't **h** ave a **h** e **ar** t, but that **doe** sn't m **ake you** **r** ight. The heart is more than just a ball of flesh. It connects o **ur mind** and soul, **gives** our **w** ill, and fuels our **emotions.** It's still there even in Hollows despite the void they so desperately want to fill. That need brin **g** **s** **pa** in, and that pain brings **ha** t **red** that makes you la **sh** out, but I re **fus** e to believe that is what de **fin** es you're existence."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Snarled Shao.

Ruby continued, ripping off Hollow skin as they grew. "Hollows are seen as soulless abominations, but from personal experience I am inclined to pity you. You're just lost, trying to find the life you once had."

Ruby thought back to the moment that she conquered her Hollow side. Cristina was at her mercy, but yet she didn't curse or rampage like a beast. Despite being an entity bent on violence and instinct, she begged for a life and cried real tears.

"I say that Hollows can be more than just killers and the villains they are painted to be." Ruby claimed. "In the end, you're just like the rest of us. You're just trying to reach for something that's just barely out of your grasp. For you it's that spark of life that you lost when you died and it's why you defy passing on. But putting on that hated of that eternal struggle on others is just a waste of energy. It's right in front of you, yet you've lost sight of it because you're consumed by that darkness that you've embraced. I may not claim to fully understand the life of a Hollow," Yet again, Cristina crying flashed in Ruby's mind, and the Hollow matter regrew, "but **I** a **t** l **eas** t **kno** w **it's** not all that they are **meant to be; Hollows are** m **uch** **more** **th** an b **ea** sts! So even if I become **a Hollow, I won't become like you because I will still have my heart!"**

(Que Bleach ost "Cometh the Hour Part B")

The Vasto Lorde transformation fully repaired itself around Ruby, and Shao was left in a silent tantrum at Ruby's words how she basically defied the, or at least his, life of the Hollow. They are supposed to let that instinct drive them, no matter where it took them or what it did. To say that Hollows can become anything else was heresy. They are meant to be monsters of destruction and ruin.

There was a few tense moments as the body of Ruby stood completely still with a still silence only broken by the whistle of the wind and the chilling breathes. A violet aura surrounded the wolf Vasto Lorde following a crushing pressure that threatened to flatten them all. Even Kisuke could hardly move a muscle, still in shock by this godly reiatsu. She reared her head and gave an earth-shattering howl to the heavens.

"You lost control after all." Laughed Shao, feeling smug that the hybrid was proven wrong.

In the roaring storm of spiritual pressure that surrounded Ruby she stilled herself instead of going on a rampage. Her hands then to take a hold of her mask and the hole over her heart. Kisuke, the Vizards, and the Remnanties stared transfixed at the strange motion then widened their eyes as Ruby's right hand was slowly cracking the mask. But none were as shocked as Shao as he saw the hole over the heart shrinking in size. His breath caught in his throat watching as flesh knit together till there was no hole to fill.

"N-Nani!?" Shao choked out.

He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it even as the impossibility stood right in front of him. There was a Hollow with a heart standing right in front of his eyes!

A loud crack brought back attention to the mask that finally shattered and split second later a bright violet light surrounded Ruby to the point the onlookers had to cover their eyes. A minute later the light died down for everyone to see the new Ruby that stood where the Vasto Lorde once was. She was completely normal without any fur or the clawed digits but there was a new set of differences none of them were expecting. Her shinigami uniform was replaced by a crimson jacket with white trimming that hugged her curves, black hakama pants, and a black sash. At her hip was a single-edged sword in a sheath, revealing the red handle wrapped in a black grip and an oval-shaped guard. The only physical changes were the richer tone to her skin, the addition of a curled horn on the right side of her head, just between her right wolf ear and eye, which was red, and white bone at the root of the horn reached to the last bit of the mask of the wolf Vasto Lorde being the upper jawline of the mask on her right cheek.

While the Remnanties and shinigami were shocked by Ruby's new appearance, Shao's face contorted in a mix of rage and disbelief. He knew that was a successful transformation into an arrancar yet there was more to it than that. Her reserves were still as low before her Hollowfication, probably from what he was seeing right now. There was no sign of a hollow hole.

"Impossible." Growled Shao, his rage growing at this blasphemy.

(End ost)

Ruby took one step forward before collapsing onto her knees in a panting mess. She was already drained before Hollowfication but now she was left mentally exhausted as well from fighting for control. So Ruby could do nothing as an enraged Shao fired a massive cero. She wanted to scream in pain as the doom blast burned her skin and scorched her body when it suddenly exploded. The shockwave sent her soaring through the air to the shore, unable to stop the velocity with her meager reserves of reiatsu. She was too weak to even let out a peep of her voice.

 _'I'm done.'_ Thought Ruby. _'I can't go on, but they are still in danger! If I have to give up my power or my life, I will gladly do it. Just please someone... anyone... save them!'_

Ruby felt herself plummeting towards the ocean. Her senses of hearing and sight were beginning to darken the more she lost consciousness. If this was her death, Ruby only had one wish to be granted. To be held in the gentle arms of Ichigo and feel his aura of safety again.

"Where'd you get that horn?"

The voice! That strong voice that as soon as it was heard somehow made Ruby's senses come back to her if only to see if it was true. Her eyes, now heterochromatic between silver and red, snapped open and met another heterochromatic pair with warm brown with a glowing blue iris and pitch black with a golden iris. But it was the familiar bright orange hair that made Ruby's heart soar. Ichigo had returned, holding her in a bridal-style hold grinning down at her.

As her senses were coming back to her, Ruby noticed that the hybrid had a dark line running down his eye from a long jagged horn sticking out of the side of his head. Next were, to Ruby's amazement, an array of six pairs of black wings of pure reishi from his back complete with feathers that flickered like embers. He no longer at the giant cleaver that was his Shikai on his back or the daito of his Bankai. Instead, there were two swords sheathed at his hip with the hilts opposing each other in the colors of white and black. His Faunas (Hollow) tail wrapped around Ruby's waist and to her disappointment released her out of Ichigo's hands.

"Orange-head's back!" Cheered Yang, knowing somehow that victory was on the horizon. "And check him out!"

Indeed the shinigami were but for totally different reasons. It wasn't the Hollow horn on his head this time, but it was the wings of reishi on Ichigo's back. Kisuke knew of only one technique that could produce this state. A smirk played on his lips that he was floored yet again by Ichigo's potential.

 _'Well I'll be damned.'_ Thought Kisuke. _'Your legacy lives on, Masaki-san.'_

Kisuke wasn't the only one as Shao stared unblinkingly at the black wings on Ichigo's back. It wasn't in interest or anger, but it was fear. His mind flashed back when the last time he saw those wings. Humans would call them angels but to Hollows they were demons of slaughter. Their very reishi was meant to eliminate them from existence. Shao has fought the race of the Quincy before and for an age long ago thought them no different from the shinigami. That is until he met their "King".

Even when Shao, the Grave God, fought the likes of Yammato and barely survived he didn't fear the Head Captain for he was still a man that can be killed by power. _He_ was far, far worse. _He_ was not a king but a god. No matter what he did, Shao couldn't do nothing against that _thing._ _He_ was no mortal, not a thing that could be just killed with power. _He_ made him feel true fear through torture that made him learn the meaning of being powerless and helpless. _He_ made sure that no matter how much power he could ever get Shao knew that he would always be a pebble to _him._

And to see another of _his_ kind when they should be extinct with those insufferable wings as well drove Shao over the edge. But it also brought the fact that this human, no, this anomaly was the combination of three in one. Shao couldn't help his jaw falling when he was hit by that realization.

"V-Vollstandig!?" Exclaimed Shao, taking steps back in fear. "Y-You're a Quincy as well!? HOW!? HOW ARE YOU REAL?! If you're a Quincy and a Hollow as well, you should be dead! You should be killing yourself being poisoned by your own blood!"

Ichigo ignored him as he floated down to the ground and set Ruby down gently. His features turned into cold indifference as he stared back at Shao. Shao gritted his teeth in frustration seeing as Ichigo was refusing to speak to him and just stare.

"ANSWE-"

Shao choked down his words when those eyes were suddenly too close to comfort. In the time he blinked Ichigo had closed down the distance between them in an instant without even making the usual buzz of sonido or even the whistle of wind of shunpo.

"Your voice is annoying me." Ichigo stated in a bored tone.

Shao froze on the spot from those words. That was the exact same sentence _he_ said. In the high of his fear, Shao saw _him_ again, looking down at him like a bug with his long hair hiding away his face in shadows with the cloak flapping in the wind. In that same deep voice, the mirage of _that thing_ spoke.

 _"Your voice is annoying me."_

Shao gave a cry of terror and jumped back from the hybrid. His eyes were wild and his instincts screamed to survive. It was why his hands moved in a motion Kisuke realized but was too late to warn Ichigo.

"S-Stay away!" Shao cried. **"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi."**

The demon art spell of the Black Coffin took form in a pitch black box that built around Ichigo growing to resemble a tower three stories tall. The spiritual pressure exerted into the spell was enough to make any loose pebbles float in the air. Shao had a maniacal grin on his face thinking of being free from that monstrosity to live another day.

When the black box was forming the lid to encase Ichigo completely, the reishi structure suddenly fell apart. Piece by piece the black box reversed its construction and the reishi turned back into a formless state surging into a single singularity. The walls broke down revealing that the reishi was being absorbed into the reishi on Ichigo's back till the black box was no longer there.

(Que Bleach ost "Fade to Black")

"Wh-What are you!?" Exclaimed Shao in terror, backing away from this monster.

Ichigo didn't answer the arrancar and instead held out his hand into the air. A purple mist permeated the air around him as Ichigo's spiritual pressure was exerted and, surprisingly, into a focused point unlike his usual novice control. Kisuke's eyes widened in surprise and Ruby was slack jawed when they realized what Ichigo was doing and that he was succeeding in doing it. That manipulation of spiritual pressure could only be Kido.

 **"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi."**

And it was the very same Kido that was once fired back at him. Shao was too late to stop the black reishi boxing him in a tower four stories tall. The spiritual pressure cracked the earth as gravitational forces inside the coffin ravaged whatever was inside. After ten seconds, the black coffin dissipated and showed Shao on one knee bleeding from gashes and lacerations all over his body. He tried to speak but only coughed out blood.

 _'So that's how.'_ Kisuke theorized internally. _'Those wings on his back absorbed the reishi of the Kido then traced the reading of that reishi to its exact frequency to recreate the Kido. Ichigo, just where does your potential end?'_

Behind his cold composure, Ichigo was having his own debate between his zanpakuto, Zangetsu Y and X.

 _'Careful, Ichigo.'_ Zangetsu X warned _. ' This is your first time using Vollstandig and your Hollowed state. If you use Shikai or even Bankai, you'll tear your body apart if you persist for too long.'_

 _'How long do I have if I use Shikai?'_ Ichigo asked.

Zangetsu Y answered. _**'About five minutes before your soul commits soul suicide, and only ten seconds in Bankai. Make it quick, King.'**_

 _'I plan to.'_

In the blink of an eye, Ichigo withdrew his new dual zanpakuto from his hip, the steel gleaming in the light. Shao, in his frantic terror, disappeared with sonido to retreat high in the air not wanting to be anywhere near Ichigo. The Kurosaki took a deep breath before crossing the blades into an 'X' in front of himself and chanted.

 **"Black God, redeem your sins; White God, kill on instinct - ZANGETSU!"**

Black, red, white, and blue reiatsu exploded off of Ichigo's body and focused into a mighty twister that reached the heavens. Blake and Yang were blown away like leaves in a hurricane from the winds generated from Ichigo's spiritual pressure. Ruby used her slowly regaining strength to lift her arms up and catch her friends and pull them down to endure the storm. The twister died away in an instant as a shockwave swept the battlefield. Ichigo's new Shikai was now a dual-type of two giant khyber knives as long as his body and yet he could easily wield with one hand. The khyber sword in his right arm had a white hilt with a pitch black blade, and the sword in his left hand had the blade as white as snow with a coal black hilt. Red-laced black reiatsu swirled on his right arm, and blue-laced white reiatsu swirled on his left arm. Combined with his Hollow horn and tail and Vollstandig wings Ichigo was the picture of a man of war. For Ruby, drool fell from the corner of her mouth, a nosebleed bled shamelessly, and her eyes glazed into an aimless stare that switched between Ichigo himself and his weapons that looked, in her opinion, to have been crafted by the hands of the gods. Her mind was completely blank with only one word.

 _'Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hothothothothothothothot!'_

It was amazing how she didn't faint from blood loss.

(Que Bleach ost "Number One Else")

"No!" Growled Shao. "I didn't live these centuries just to be killed some shitty brat."

Without even a sound, Ichigo was already upon him both Zangetsus raised over his head. Shao barely had time to summon a pair of bone bokken to defend himself. The two locked in a stalemate for only a second until he was overwhelmed by pure strength by Ichigo. The hybrid gave a roar and sent down Shao like a bullet. The arrancar picked himself up and summoned giant pikes of bone that launched at super high speeds. Ichigo narrowed his eyes watching as the pikes came closer. He swayed to the side at the last second when the first one came and swatted it away like it was a fly. The second pike was simply parried away with a flick of the blade of Zangetsu Y. The last two came at the same time and Ichigo had to place himself between them and pushed the khyber blades to his sides to send them away.

Seeing that was the end of Shao's attack, Ichigo took his own turn and raised both blades in the air. Their respective reiatsus burned off the blades like an inferno, read to be unleashed at Ichigo's command.

 **"Getsuga Tensho!"**

With two swings, Ichigo launched two different waves of reiatsu, one red-laced black and the other blue-laced white. In his defense Shao put up a wall of solid bone. When the black **Getsuga Tensho** struck it tore through the wall like butter and it continued on ripping a trench through the earth. With the wall down, it revealed a shocked Shao with his left arm missing. Before the other **Getsuga Tensho** hit Shao avoided it with sonido into the air above the stump of the bone tree.

"I," Cried Shao, veins visible on his golden eyes, "I will not die here!"

Shao extended his remaining palm and charged a pitch black cero.

 **"Cero Obscuras."**

The massive doom blast fired down upon Ichigo and blanked out any light. Ichigo didn't even flinch to the raging reiatsu and put Zangetsu in a cross guard. The cero impacted with little effect to Ichigo's defense, and only managed to crumble the ground behind him and skid his feet back a few inches. Having enough, Ichigo charged reiatsu in his blades once again, but this time the point where the khyber blades met made a pitch black singularity.

 **"Getsuga Jujisho!"**

Two **Getsuga Tenshos** blasted off combined as one in cross-shaped wave that sliced through the cero. Shao stepped far to the side with sonido to avoid the unstoppable reiatsu as it ripped through the bone tree stump and continued on to the distance of the ocean until it exploded far away but big enough for all to see and truly measure the destructive capability of the **Getsuga** **Jujisho.**

Ichigo was upon him again slicing both Zangetsu blades in an upward arc. His Hierro hardly had a chance against the blades and he was sent into the air blood splashing from two deep gashes in his shoulders. He tumbled for a few more meters on return to the ground. Shao bit his lips in agony struggling to get himself up and stare back at that indifferent face of Ichigo.

"You wanted power, right?" Ichigo spoke menacingly, his reiatsu skyrocketing beyond captain levels. "Did that power have to put so many people in harm? Did it have to cost the lives of innocent bystanders? I hate people like you who have no remorse for the lives of others. It's why no matter where I go or who I become I will always be a protector. For the crime of your greed, I will show you real power."

Black, red, blue, and white swirled into a twister around Ichigo that condensed into a thick aura of power. A blue shimmer that was Ichigo's own Aura flared to life and becoming brighter by the second the more reiatsu was focused.

 **"Bankai."**

Ichigo slammed the two khyber blades together causing a bright light that shined for all for miles to see. It disappeared as it soon it appeared and in its place was a sword of epic proportions that its very presence put fear into Shao's heart. The hilt itself, made of black iron, was longer than Ichigo's arm ending with a long chain that could wrap around a person. The blade itself had no guard and was enormous even bigger than the khyber blades of his Shikai, and was double edged. One side was pitch black to represent his Quincy origins and the other was snow white in representation of his Hollow side, and separating the two edges was a gap that ran from the hilt to almost the tip filled with not white, black, red, or blue but gold reiatsu that looked to be liquid gold.

"Let's go," Shouted Ichigo, **"Tensa Zangetsu."**

Ichigo launched from towards Shao faster than any being the arrancar had ever faced. His vision was blinded by the golden reiatsu emitted from the blade as it was carried from Ichigo's side ready to cleave through any its way. Time slowed down for Shao and it was then that Kami chose to let the arrancar review his entire life. He saw himself as a regular Hollow, going up the ranks of Menos till he became Vasto Lorde. In all his life all he knew was the hunger, the ever going hunger that forced him to eat souls. But a thought crossed his mind if it was really necessary. Could he have truly stopped when he became a Vasto Lorde? Was there more to a heart then the void Shao was always reminded of when he touched his chest?

 _'Perhaps,'_ Thought Shao, accepting his fate as **Tensa Zangetsu** touched his skin, _'you had a point, Ruby Rose.'_

 **"Getsuga Goddokira." (Moon Fang God Killer)**

As soon as the giant blade passed through Shao, a giant wave of pure reiatsu was unleashed pushing the very ocean back to the very horizon and parting the gathering clouds back. Shao didn't even feel pain since the very massive amount of reiatsu put into the attack vaporized his body in less than a second. All the spectators saw was majestic golden flash and felt spiritual pressure practically shaking to their very core. As the waves of the ocean came back and the winds returned, the battle that Remnant would remember forever as one of the first of the shinigami was over.

* * *

 **Wow, did not expect this chapter to be so damn long. Usually you would find a chapter of this size in The Sins' Return, but it work well either way. From how much I put into this chapter it is so far one of the best in this story. As for Ruby, I decided to make her an arrancar for now as she masters both sides of her power.**

 **Next is Chapter 43: Aftermath**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review. It shows how much you love this story.**


	43. Send Off, New Horizons

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. Rest in peace you saint of a choreography genius. We all still miss you :(**

 **A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?**

 **Edited as of 7/21/2019**

 **Chapter 43: Send Off, New Horizons**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

As soon as Ichigo finished his slash of his new ultimate move **Getsuga Goddokira** , he collapsed one his knees and felt as though something was trying to tear him apart inside of him. The **Getsuga Goddokira** was indeed the most deadly weapon of his full power combining all aspects of his inheritance of Quincy, Hollow, and shinigami into perfect harmony for complete devastation. He still couldn't believe that he was able to even move from the sheer density of reishi that was stored in **Tensa Zangetsu**. In the time it took to vanquish Shao he was in Bankai for three seconds but the **Getsuga** **Goddokira** almost caused him to go into soul suicide right then and there if it weren't for Zangetsu X and Y cutting off his Vollstandig and his Horn of Salvation. Ichigo would admit that there was more than one way to settle the fight without such expense of spiritual energy, but he wanted to know where his limits were. He smirked at that thought and idly wondered if his Hollow side now changed his mindset even more via embracing it. But right now Ichigo just wanted a soft bed to sleep on.

 **Tensa Zangetsu** was held loosely in his hands sinking into the ground. Sweat was pouring down his face and he gasped for breath after pushing his body to the utter limit of dying. His shihaksho was in tatters leaving him bare-chested besides his remaining right sleeve. The Hollow horn shattered and fell to the ground to turn to dust and left his left eye back to his warm brown.

He wanted to just fall asleep right then and there. He wanted to so bad because he was just that tired. Yet, fate said different when a familiar blur of rose petals slammed into him, much like how his idiot of a father was. His feet skidded back a few meters before anchoring down. Ruby, clad in white with a stray curled horn on the right side of her head and her wolf ears perking up adorably, held Ichigo tightly. A bit too tightly he might add, and he regretted glancing down to let out a retort about bumping into him only to avert his eyes away with a face as red as his surname. Apparently, Ruby's new outfit left nothing to the imagination if looked at a certain angle, especially to a certain area that for the Huntress' age was, to say, very, very filled out.

 _ **'King, you lucky sonuvabitch, she's got a nice-'** _Zangetsu Y cackled perversely before Zangetsu X bopped him on the head.

"Ruby..." Muttered Ichigo, trying to wiggle out of Ruby's grip only for the young woman to hug tighter and in effect make Ichigo blush more from the 'pillows' pressing on his chest. He tried looking at Ruby in the face only to see a wild expression with glazed eyes, dusted-red cheeks, and a wide grin from a certain annoying cat. Alarm bells were going off in Ichigo's head, and his Hollow zanpakuto was not helping.

"I freaking love you, Ichigo!" Ruby said at a high speeds unable to track, a bit of drool as she eyed the new **Tensa Zangetsu.** "You're blade is awesome! The sharpness, the way it shimmers, the raw power is in-incredible! You're incredible!"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down!" Ichigo exclaimed, attempting and failing to calm down his hybrid girlfriend.

"Ican'thelpit!" Ruby screamed. "Youyou'reverysoulproducedsuchamasterpiece! You'reamasterpiece! MyheartisbeatingsofastandallIcanthinkofissnugglingyou!"

It was at this point that Ichigo had the faintest idea that Ruby was more Hollow than he thought. He knew that she had suddenly turned into an arrancar though in hindsight it was not that shocking considering Ichigo's own surprises. What Ichigo was afraid was the growing instincts with her Hollow side. He certainly did not want to deal with _that_ kind of Ruby because Ruby is supposed to be cute and innocent. He was not going to devolve himself into Goat-chin's fantasies.

At this point Ruby was passed the point of words and if she had a tail to go along with her ears it would be wagging like crazy. Ichigo sighed in exasperation and tried the one thing that might get him out before his own Hollow side gets out of control, if the perverted cackling from Zangetsu Y was any indication. He had no time to test just how much of a Hollow he was himself.

His left arm reached out till it was over Ruby's wolf ears and proceeded to scratch them. The effect was immediate as Ruby's hug loosened relieving Ichigo of the embarrassment of feeling her bust and her posture calmed down. Ichigo used his right hand to scratch the last ear, making the arrancar/hybrid practically melt in bliss and releasing soft moans. Her curled horn and bone fragments retracted into her flesh leaving only the upper jaw piece.

 _'I am not a pervert for doing this! I am not a pervert for doing this! I am not a pervert for doing this!'_ Ichigo screamed internally in a mantra. Why you may ask was because of Zangetsu Y's suggestions of how he could use this advantage over Ruby. Each one just made Ichigo's face more red in anger and embarrassment.

Ruby let out a much more audible moan breaking Ichigo out of his thoughts. His eyes locked back on the young woman in time for her silver eyes to open to their full residence. Ichigo let a warm smile cross his face seeing that familiar spark that he would admit that he loved the most about her. He just knew that on immediate eye contact with those bright orbs they would always bring out of the darkness, to be his eternal light. It sort of reminded him of his mother's look. Something that he thought was lost forever, and will cherish with his life.

 _'You really do mean a lot to me, Ruby-chan.'_ Ichigo thought.

No longer was Ruby stuck in "lovesick dog mode" and her eyes shimmered with that same mirth and spirit. In the blink of an eye Ichigo was caught in a hug again this one being more comfortable. Her face pressed into his chest her to relish his heartbeat and feel more of his aura of protection.

"I'm glad you're alright." Ruby mumbled, though her voice was muffled due to Ichigo's chest.

To his reluctance, Ichigo pushed Ruby back but only as far enough that their faces were inches apart. Shivers went down the Huntress' spine feeling Ichigo's hot breath. Ichigo's ghost-like tail whipped and slammed on the ground in response to his own wild emotions. At this point, Ichigo trusted his instincts by bringing his right hand to caress Ruby's porcelain cheek. He was awarded with Ruby nuzzling into his touch and her eyes were partly drawn closed.

"Hell and heaven can try, but only I get the final say." Ichigo boldly declared with a rare smile. "Nothing is keeping me away."

Ruby had enough with all the sweet words when they were so close. She booked up and pecked a kiss on Ichigo's lips. His former prudish reputation would've demanded him to push the woman away, but right now being a so-called gentlemen was the last thing on his mind, not when his instincts demanded he reciprocate. And when he did it was enough for Ruby to widen her eyes, speed up her heart, and close her eyes in bliss as the peck turned into a full-blown kiss.

There was that spark again making their senses dull to block out the world around then. Callouses yet soft hands went down to map the curves on Ruby's back while the female hybrid wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck and grip his soft hair. The prude in the Kurosaki would've made him run to the hills at such contact, but as of now he didn't give a damn. He wanted this so bad and the fact Ruby answered with equal elation just made it so much better.

His pale tail, now marked with red tattooing along the spine, wrapped around the both of them. The sensation of hugging closer caused Ruby to let out a small mewl. The two were lost with each other but of course...

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE, I'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS FOR A FULL MINUTE. CAN YOU TWO PLEASE JUST GET YOUR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER ALREADY?!"

Ichigo and Ruby felt like a whip was cracked onto their heads when the shrill screech snapped the pair out of their trance. Turning to the side the hybrids blushed in embarrassment that an audience of all their friends were standing right there. Some like the Vizards and Kisuke had a coy smile, Yang was giving a thumbs up, Blake was looking away with a heavy blush on her cheeks, Nora was grinning excitedly while holding a very tired Ren, Qrow was giving a glare to Ichigo, Jaune and Oscar were just speechless, and Senna was the only one who was indifferent. But the source of the shrill screech came from Weiss huffing in frustration but the most scarlet face Ruby has ever seen on a person.

Weiss expected many things from her leader. In her mind, she was still a bit off on some things yet Weiss will admit she is great leader. This counted as such for there was a time and place for that kind of "affection". She was furious indeed that the new couple that included her leader and this Ichigo Kurosaki were busy at such awful timing, but most of the heat that rushed into her cheeks came from the fact that it was awkward to say for the composed Schnee heiress how close together the pair were. Not to mention the spike in jealousy when Weiss saw how Ruby's "assets" squished on Ichigo's chest.

Almost two years her senior yet Ruby has an even bigger bust to rival her sister while she, Weiss Schnee, stays flat!?

From her shout, Weiss expected Ruby to recoil away in embarrassment. At first Ruby did look so, until a full transformation happened over Ruby's entire face. No longer was there the innocent and child-like teenager Weiss met at the beginning of Beacon. With just a simple change of expression, Weiss now saw a young woman that personified devilish beauty with half-lidded eyes glinting with mischief and a smile that seemed warm to the ignorant but clearly seductive and struck a freezing chill down her spine. Even Ichigo and Kisuke were unnerved by that smile because they knew only Yoruichi, the queen of teasing and lack of shame, could make that smile. Yang and Blake knew that smile that only a sadist and teaser could make while the others were just surprised by this new side of Ruby.

They held onto hope that it was just that, a look. In just two sentences, the image of innocent Ruby was forever shattered.

"Oh my, are you jealous, Weiss?" Ruby teased in a soft tone, yet that held some sort of undertone that sent chills with every word. "If you didn't want to miss out, you could always join in? Ufufufu."

Somewhere on Earth in a club full of devils, a raven-haired beauty sneezed followed by the feeling of kinship unknown to her.

 _'Oh Kami, you just had to make her a clone of yourself, eh Yoruichi.'_ Kisuke thought.

The shinigami present, used to Yoruichi's antics, had to struggle to hold in their snickers except for Ichigo dealing with flushed cheeks and a tick mark of how much Yoruichi corrupted his girlfriend, and Senna who was blushing so much her whole body went red. For the Remnanties, they were unfortunately completely taken off guard. Except for Jaune and Oscar who were ignorant and Nora who was just Nora, multiple faces glowed beat red as their imagination went wild of a threesome. Ten seconds later, a thud followed the first victim that was Blake knocked out on the ground with a stupid smile on her face with blood coming out of her nose. Qrow and Senna were next to follow via fainting, then Yang who had a proud smile on her face.

Weiss was the most resistant but also the most targeted out of everyone. Her whole body was so red that Ruby could swear that she could see it through her clothes. The former heiress wanted to let out a retort, but she was so embarrassed so all that came out was a stutter and half a letter. Eventually, Weiss too fell victim once her imagination took hold of Ruby's "proposition". She tried one last time to let out a retort before blasting off with an undignified nosebleed. The former heiress was already out cold before she landed back to the ground.

Ruby bursted out laughing at the end of the result of her ultimate tease to date that would make her sensei proud. Ichigo sighed in exasperation and uncurled his tail around them picked themselves up to their feet. The orange-haired hybrid was still a bit wobbly on his legs but he would easily recover. It wasn't until Ruby finally stopped laughing that she realized she was on her feet again and gave a pout to Ichigo, who had to stop himself from smiling at how ridiculously cute she pouted.

As Qrow and the members of Team (R)WBY and JN(P)R recovered, Ichigo approached Kisuke. The blonde gave Ichigo his usual smile, the kind the irked the Kurosaki when he was going to ask the shopkeeper.

"Do you have anything to fix this mess?" Ichigo asked.

"My, my, Kurosaki, what makes you think a handsome shopkeeper such as myself could possibly carry such a thing?" Kisuke feigned innocence.

"Because," Ichigo said through gritted teeth. It was these requests like this one that Ichigo had to play on Kisuke's pride and basically suck-up to him, "you're the smartest person in the world beyond even Kami, and I'm just a dumb man-baby that likes to suck on his pinky."

"Ah, now was that so hard." Kisuke said, making Ichigo red with anger. The blonde shinigami rummaged through his pocket before he retrieved a black orb decorated with four white bars. He applied pressure to his fingers to make the orb crack. Once it shattered, a rainbow spectrum of reiatsu flooded through all of Argus. It didn't crush the people but the residents how the power itself was so condensed in the air thicker than a fog.

 **"Motonimodosu, Activate." (Restore Back)**

Upon Kisuke's command the reiatsu went to work on the city itself. Everyone stared with wide eyes as where multiple colors washed through the streets and alleyways the damage wrought by the Hollows was reversed. Debris and rubble floated through the air like time was reversing itself to bring back walls, roads, and buildings. The crater left by Shao Kin's destruction (and Ruby and Ichigo having no way to hold back) filled back up with earth that was once blown away from their clashes. After five minutes of watching in awe of Kisuke's genius at work, the city of Argus was restored to how it was yesterday. The only sign of the disaster at all was the bone tree lying in the ocean and the stump that was left behind.

"And that is why I am the greatest." Said Kisuke, waving his fan and dodging a thrown sandle from Hiyori.

"Yes, we get it." Groaned Shinji, leaning on his zanpakuto like a crutch. "Your ego is bigger than the Sereitei."

"Why must you wound me?" Kisuke feigned hurt with a thundercloud over his head.

Ichigo ignored the banter between Kisuke and the Vizards and turned his attention back on Ruby. When their eyes met, the arrancar/hybrid flashed Ichigo a warm smile. He smiled back, but not with as much gusto when his gaze traveled to the not-so-hidden shard of bone on Ruby's cheek resembling the jaw of her Vasto Lorde form.

"You're okay, right?" Asked Ichigo.

"Of course I am, Ichi-kun." Ruby perked up. "Never felt better actually."

"But your heart-"

Ruby interrupted Ichigo by grabbing his hand and putting over her bosom. At first, the surviving prudish nature in the Kurosaki made his cheeks blush from the soft feeling of her skin. However, it clicked in his head later than it should have that there was the familiar faint thump of blood pumping. Ichigo could almost cry in relief; he thought he wasn't strong enough in time to save her heart when they needed him.

"It's okay, Ichigo-kun." Ruby soothed softly, cupping his cheek. "I still have my heart because it is all for you."

"I just don't take failure well." Ichigo said.

"I get it." Ruby said. "You don't to have to experience losing someone important again. So I promise you I'm not going anywhere and I'm still going to be the Ruby."

Ruby's comforting words brought forth a kind smile upon Ichigo. They would've continued exchanging kind words until Weiss decided to break it apart before it got too 'steamy' for her tastes.

"As much as I would hate to break this moment," Weiss said, "I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Oh, right!" Exclaimed Ruby, snapping back to action. "The Relic, where is it!? Oh no, I probably dropped it by accident over the ocean."

Kisuke perked up with an unnerving grin. "It wouldn't happen to be this little beauty?"

All eyes snapped to Kisuke in bewilderment as he pulled out the Relic of Knowledge out of his robes. Oscar tensed slightly at the scene of the lantern held in a complete stranger's hands. In truth it was Ozpin freezing up in fear and wrath that someone not his knowledge had got a hold on the artifact that he was supposed to protect.

"I found this little thing and I have to say I am quite dazzled by her." Kisuke said, holding up to his analytical eyes. "I can only imagine just what kind of juicy secrets you have locked inside you."

 _"U-Unhand me, you fiend."_ Shouted the voice of Jin in fear and outrage, making the group jump in surprise. _"I won't be some... toy to the likes of a lecher."_

"But you're such a little devil of a puzzle." Whined Kisuke.

"Sorry, eh, Kisuke, was it?" Weiss said, motioning to give the Relic to her. "We have a job to take it to Atlas where it will be safely guarded."

"Oh really." Kisuke countered with a coy smile. "Tell me, Weiss if you're hiding this from this dangerous enemy that wants this lantern, what better place is there? A vibrant city littered with 'advanced' (amateur) technology and weaponry with the backing of an entire army that gives _little_ chance for said enemy to pass through? Or... an entirely separate universe they have no knowledge or method of getting there?"

Weiss tried to make a retort, but all that resulted was a dying sound coming out of a loose jaw. No matter what, Weiss could not defy the sheer logic in the choice. She wanted to support her country of Atlas that it would forever keep Salem's clutches from acquiring the Relic because it was the safest and most secure in the world. But it was only in _this_ world, and from what she has seen from of these gods in flesh that for all the might of Atlas even Ruby would obliterate the country if she wanted to.

"You're... right." Weiss reluctantly agreed.

 _"Nooo!"_ Jin bemoaned in terror as the lantern shook. _"Ruby Rose, I beg of you. I'll give you five, no, ten wishes of knowledge all for free. Just please don't leave me to this madman."_

"Hmm, it's a tempting offer." Mused Ruby before shrugging. "But, you see, you've proven more trouble than your worth. Have fun, Kisuke-san."

Kisuke giggled as he eyed the lantern. "I can't wait to study you in my lab."

All they heard from Jin were her terrified screams before Kisuke hid her away in his jacket. He walked to a more open spot away from everyone, his hands still rummaging in his hidden pockets. He eventually brought out a cylindrcial device as long as his hand and equipped with a button and a microphone on opposing ends.

"Mashiro-chan, activate the portal." Kisuke spoke into the mic he pressed the button.

 _'Okay.'_ Responded the voice of Mashiro through the mic.

Kisuke whipped his zanpakuto and thrusted in the air. Instead of just simply swinging through the air the blade impacted as though shattering glass. Space itself around the tip of the blade cracked like an egg, the cracks glowing a white light. The scientist twisted the blade one would do with a key and lock, and an ovaoval shape tore through reality rimmed with what looked shards of floating glass.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kisuke announced in a bow, "may I introduce the Physical World Gate, the first portal in history that gives instant teleportation without going through the Dangai. Thank you, thank you, please leave your compliments later. Now, let's be off."

"Ugh, please, I want to go home to rest off this cramps and aches after all of this." Shinji groaned with his fellow bruised Vizards nodding in approval.

"Yuzu and Karin are probably worried sick." Ichigo added, gathering towards the portal.

"C'mon, let's hurry up, we don't want the attention of the public now." Said Kisuke.

One by one, the shinigami traveled through the portal with the Vizards going first. When Yang saw Ruby approaching the portal, her heart nearly wrenched. After all this time she was not going to lose her sister again.

"WAIT!" Yang shouted, catching the arrancar's attention. "Are you seriously leaving, just when we got back together?"

"Oh." Ruby widened her eyes in shock. "Well, this entire time, it's always been getting the Relic out of reach. There are a lot more threats out there Yang, far more than you can imagine, and I can get the help to deal with them. There's someone out there, far worse than even Salem, gathering forces that could come here to make this joke in comparison to what _he_ can do. But... that doesn't mean I'll go alone."

"Eh?" (R)WBY responded intellectually.

"Come with me." Ruby offered holding out her hand. "There's a whole new adventure full of action and drama just waiting for Team RWBY. Nora and Jaune too."

"Are - Are you serious?" Exclaimed Jaune. "Well, give us a moment to-"

He didn't get the chance to finish when Nora grabbed him to no sooner chuck herself with her leader and Ren in her arms through the portal. For Team RWBY, they took a moment to remain petrified on the spot before grins and contented smiles spread on their faces. They rallied to Ruby's side, and Team RWBY was reforged.

"No way in hell you are leaving me behind, lil sis." Yang said.

"What's more danger to our lives anyway?" Blake added.

"Someone has to keep you alive." Weiss joked.

Ruby flashed the trio of her teammates a cheshire grin, the kind that gave off alarms. She wrapped her arms around them, twirled around, and threw them through the portal in a comical fashion. Ichigo sighed in exasperation as he traveled through as well to make sure the new arrivals were alright. Only Kisuke and Ruby remained, waiting expectantly for Qrow and Oscar.

"You go on ahead." Qrow denied with a sad smile. "You've grown way too fast, and it's obvious you don't need me around. The kid and I will travel up to Atlas. There's still more that _Ozpin_ wanted us to do, even if the bastard is right."

"Well that saves some trouble." Kisuke commented as he through a square device to Qrow. "Keep that on you. It'll allow us much more stable travel between our worlds next time."

Kisuke waved goodbye when he walked through the veil. Ruby kept her smile on the pair being left behind, and she could even sense Ozpin's acceptance hiding behind the boy's soul. She turned her back to them and walked to the veil. Right before the last step, Ruby gave a few last words.

"See ya later, Dad." Ruby muttered just loud enough for Qrow to hear.

Qrow was petrified on the spot and his eyes widened when he fully processed the words that were meant for him. His blood went cold, trying to figure where Ruby found out in the first place. When he recovered his bearings, whatever retort died in his throat when Ruby disappeared in a flash of light and the veil closed.

* * *

 **Yahoo, I finished the chapter. It's been a while because I got a job, only to lose in the first week. Weird. I really have no schedule for what story to update, only whatever captures my interests to finish.**

 **Please give me some tips to show the romance of IchiRu. I don't have a lot of romantic experience and it would be appreciative. As for that reveal at the end, just remember when Summer whispered into Ruby's ear in the chapter she achieved her Bankai.**

 **Up next is Chapter 44: Aftermath**


	44. War is Brewing

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter: War is Brewing**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Pain. All that Adam knew was unyielding, agonizing pain. Half of his internal organs were completely dead, and a huge chunk of his chest was torn off from the blast that Ren gave him. All of his bones were broken from the trees he through, and blood pooled below him. If one were to see him right now, they would see his rib cage visible to the world. Yet in the impossibility of it all, Adam still clung to life. His grip on Wilt was ever so tight. He still had a mission to do.

His vision started to blur, and every breath was choked out by his own blood. Adam was inches from death, so he did not sense approaching footsteps. He couldn't even see the dark-skinned man, wearing a blindfold and a black hakama shirt and pants under a white coat, standing over him as color was blurring away from Adam's vision.

The man's hand stretched out towards the stranger and glowed a green light. To Adam's disbelief and amazement, the pain started to lessen and his vision and hearing were revitalized from the added energy of the healing Kido. But it was only enough to keep Adam from dying in the next few minutes. Now he could see the man above him, his locked in a straight line to reveal no emotion.

"Won't..." Wheezed Adam. "... give you... the... satisfaction."

The man quirked a curious eyebrow, as though the thought of the Faunus begging was new to him. "Curious. You don't beg for life or for release. Defiant till the end."

"Never... human." Adam spat.

"I sensed a reiatsu spike only to find you here, mangled and torn apart." Said the man. "By all accounts, you should be dead."

"Never... die." Coughed Adam, gritting his teeth. "Not till... Faunus...my people... are free... and make... you all... pay."

The man may seem to look at the Faunus as usual, but he was in deep thought upon Adam's words. This stranger here held himself as a man of justice. To persevere through all hardships and trials to reach a goal greater than himself. Such a will was a rarity that can't be wasted.

"I see." Said the man, kneeling down. "You are a crusader for justice that has been denied in this world. I understand your pain. My name is Tosen Kaname. I don't expect you to believe me, but we are the same. We seek justice against the wrongs of society. I've seen enough to know how oppressed your kind are, just I saw the crime in the death of someone close to me.

"So, in my newfound respect for you, I am giving you a proposition. I can't heal you, but I can take you somewhere where you will be revived. However, you will never be the same for the rest of your life. If only you still seek the justice that has made you deny even death."

Adam was thrown through a loop. These could all be honeyed words to give him some sort of false hope. But if it was true, this could be a boon. He could get stronger. Strong enough to make Blake suffer, slaughter all the Schnee, and raise Faunus as the true ruling race. It could all be done.

"I... agree." Adam groaned. "Name's Adam... Adam Taurus."

A small upward curve of Tosen's lips was his response. "I feel we will be good allies and friends, Taurus-san."

Adam could not say anymore. His strength finally gave out and darkness claimed him. The last he saw was his new 'friend' tearing a black veil with his finger and reaching a hand out to the Faunus.

(Cinder and Neo)

In a clearing in the middle of a forest stood two people standing before an 'Atlas' aircraft ready for takeoff. Petite girls, the taller one sporting ash black hair and ablazing orange eye while her left eye was nothing but scarred skin. The second was even shorter with different colored eyes and hair of pink and brown as her name of Neo would suggest, wearing a white pilot's coat to play the role in their vendetta.

"Let's go, Neo." Cinder commanded, gesturing to the craft.

"You stand no chance against the likes of Ruby Rose." Spoke a dark, yet noticeably feminine voice with a distinct french accent.

Cinder's head whipped around to the intruder, then was blinded in rage at the insinuation. How dare anyone say that she is nothing to a little schoolgirl who had the devil's luck of wounding her. That silver-eyed girl will be turned to ashes as she watched her face in despair.

In fury, Cinder was already in flight to plunge an orange blade through the fool that dared to sully her chances against a girl of all things. To her shock, two fingers, clad in silver armor to resemble talons, stopped her charge by just gripping the very point of the blade. Cinder's blood went cold in shock; the force in her attack was enough to crater the ground and turn a human's head into paste yet this stranger before her wasn't fazed. She listened to caution and quickly flipped back to gain distance.

Taking a second Cinder could firstly say the newcomer was definitely female and quite intimidating. Her outfit was strange to say with her arms and torso were encased in silver armor over white clothes rimmed black with parts of a coat such as a neckline and lower portion to cover the legs, which were dressed in black hakama pants. Steel boots sunk into the ground where she stood, and a western-style sword with a black hilt and silver cross guard was secured at her hip in a black sheath. Her head and the top half of her face was hidden in a grey iron helm that reached to the back of the scalp, only revealing fair skin with a slight pink tinge to it like a peach. Two slit in the helm revealed amethyst eyes.

The chest area's design made Cinder twitch in irritation. If what it detailed was right, the woman had well endowed bust. She cursed her own petite, flat life for a moment before shock overcame her thoughts at one last detail. Above her chest was only a hollow hole going right through her, yet there was no blood like it was natural to her.

"Explain." Growled Cinder.

The woman sighed and pulled out a tablet and played a video. Cinder's eyes glowed through several emotions as she watched the footage of what is being called the 'Argus Near-Crisis Day'. There was fury when she saw the girl Ruby, now no longer a girl as she remembered and grown into a young woman. As the video continued with the appearance of Shao Kin growing a giant bone tree overshadowing the city and Ruby joining the fight, her fury dimmed to fear. She was different, so different it was inconceivable. The naive girl she met at Beacon was replaced by an all-powerful warrior. She was faster and stronger than even a Maiden should be, held power that tore the land apart, and split the sky with her sheer aura. There were others as well all wielding swords and masks while firing energy blasts scarring the land just like her, but not were worse than the orange-haired man that fought by the girl's side. With a single swing of such a humongous sword he pushed the ocean back in flash of golden light.

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. That type of god-like power... should be hers. All that time wasted serving under that pale witch, yet it was all for nothing. Neo could only shake in fear at such power that could easily turn her into dust. And she especially almost wet herself when she saw the person of her revenge turn into a literal monster that blasted a mountain away.

"As you are now, you are nothing." The woman spoke, replaying the video and focusing on Ruby. "She will even get stronger than this while you fall back. Unless..."

She trailed off and Cinder knew what was happening. "What do you want?"

The woman didn't even look smug. "Cooperation and loyalty. My, I suppose you could say, companion in 'business' seeks an army. While he wants quantity, I look for quality. You have that in spades, but as you are now you will remain flightless staring at the sky. Come with me, and you shall earn power to rule all you want."

Cinder stayed silent in thought, and scowled in annoyance at being stuck in a corner. This was a deadly gambit and she was playing with hungry wolves. For all Cinder knew, this could be an elaborate scheme to lower her guard. No one offers power. That is how the natural order goes in the world.

"I see you are in doubt." The woman sighed. "It's better if I show you."

With her right hand the woman slowly withdrew her blade fron its sheath, letting its steel glow in the moonlight. Once the very tip was left out of the sheath, she swung in a swift arc behind her. A simple, light motion... that caused the land to tear itself apart from the pure force put into the strike. Neo and Cinder had to cover their eyes from the kicked up dirt. When it cleared, Cinder was not prepared for the total destruction that was left, making her jaw drop. A trench, for it couldn't be called a crack, was now placed behind the woman where she swung. It was ten meters wide, yet the two Remnanties could not tell where the bottom was. For over two acres the trench continued on gradually widening and uprooting trees as it went.

"That," Spoke the woman flatly, sheathing her blade, "was only a simple stroke of the blade."

Cinder did not believe the power shown out of what was a simple swing of a blade to the woman that left that scar on the land. An Atlas capitol ship could probably recreate the trench by firing a Dust cannon at full power for a few minutes, and the only living being Cinder could think of that had a chance to pull this feat off was Salem. Yet, this... entity had simply done with one light stroke, like an amateur showing.

"Are you satisfied, Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall?" The woman asked.

Alarms went off in Cinder's head that this complete stranger knew her name and, worse, knew what she was. In her line of life, Cinder saw secrets as power, and this woman was very dangerous. She doubted that if she fought her that victory would be possible. She doubted if even Salem could win, despite her immortality. It wasn't like her power was limitless, just that she couldn't die.

"...What if we don't join you?" Cinder dared to ask after the permeating silence.

"If it were my friend, he would have you begging your loyalty to him in a puddle of your own blood." The woman answered with a bit of an edge to her voice. "He does not like any loose ends. However, I prefer a more mutual cooperation, Cinder. If you refuse, I will simply leave you to your own devices as you strive to kill the girl that irks your mind. But, as much as you loathe to admit it, that goal is far beyond as you are now. But if you join me, you will have to join my legion as one of my elite. I will give you power you thirst for, if that is the path you seek."

Cinder in a rare instance of her life was visibly shaking on the spot. Her whole entire world came crashing down in just a few minutes, first from Ruby's apparent ascent to something out of this world to this woman who can casually destroy the entire forest. If what she said was true that she could have that kind of power... it was only years of mental conditioning that prevented Cinder from drooling on the spot. Her eyes snapped back to stare at the woman's own eyes, and their orange color seemed to blaze like fire.

"We accept." Cinder answered with a smirk. "By any chance, what should I call you?"

"I do not give my real name so freely," Replied the woman, "so just call me Saint."

(Grimmlands)

When you want something done right, you do it yourself.

That's enough motivation Salem needed after the recent failures of her subordinates. She would much rather stay in the shadows and let her pawns reek havoc on the world rather than lay conquest and have the problem of the world trying to kill her off. It would save so much trouble for both sides, the annoyance for her and the loss of life for the opposing side.

Salem's eyes flashed crimson as she summoned a Goliath Grimm from the pools. The black liquid of the spawn pool left by the God of Destruction was now hers to command as she saw fit. Whatever she wanted, it would come forth to her call, and how she altered them they would do as she desired.

Salem would laugh at the 'glitch' the God of Destruction left in his own control of the Grimm. For so-called omnipotent entity, he entirely overlooked the possibly of an outside force hijacking his own control of his own creations. And without him here on this world, Salem can do everything with the Grimm without end.

Channeling her will into the new beast spawned before her, the Goliath let out a shriek of agony as much as its race could produce. Flesh ripped apart followed by the appearance of a pair of black wings. The Goliath was already a danger with strength capable of crumbling rock and smashing walls. Salem found a sort of sadistic pleasure in making such a fearsome creature even worse.

She looked to the creature's older siblings nestled at the cliff. This was the first in an army of Salem's design, ready to do the job that her own pawns couldn't. All because of some silver-eyed brat. Even after all these centuries, there was still some semblance of the gods that still irked her to this day. The God of Light's power that coursed through that human clan that she deemed to wipe out every trace of them. Yet no matter how thorough her efforts, there was always one to just pop up out of nowhere. At least with such few in number none of them had the proper training to perfectly harness that power. The power of the God of Light was much like Salem's power when she jumped into the God of Destructor's dark pools to gain his power as well. Her own power left her defenseless against the opposite force, but she has to thank the long years of diluted that bloodline. She pushed down a shiver of a thought if a silver-eyed human somehow jumped in the pool of the God of Light and became something on her level.

Whether it was her own musings or not, Salem did not sense the new presences staring right behind her, one of them gazing over the Grimm with a curious and studious look. Salem only snapped to attention when his voice, smooth like untouched water under a full moon, made him known.

(Que Bleach ost "Nothing Can Be Explained")

"What an impressive force." Said the man, making Salem freeze on the spot. "And to alter their forms on already versatile creatures is truly astounding. Even if they are simple brutes that a newborn Hollow would kill easily, the fact they can change and be born in limitless numbers makes them quite the the threat. I must give my compliments, I really mean it."

Salem whipped her head around to see a trio of men standing there and somehow have never been sensed before until now. Her fury was overwhelmed by curiosity of who had the capabilities to travel so far into Grimm territory in perfect health and still be hidden by her sensory skills.

Her eyes examined the apparent leader and speaker of the trio. She has met a lot of men in her life, but she will admit that the man standing here was very handsome. A chiseled, lean face of slightly tanned skin, menacing eyes, neat swept-back brown hair with a one loose curly bang, and, despite the hellish setting, had such a smirk to win any lesser ignorant woman. But to Salem she knew better about facial expressions, and that smile told her that the man before her dripped with confidence backed with power to claim it. He wore a white coat brimmed black over black hakama shirt and pants tied by a purple sash at his waist, showing off a bit of his fit figure. At his waist was a katana with a green hilt and tsuba guard.

Moving on, Salem went to the man to the right that was giving vibes similar to Tyrian. Whereas Tyrian was an unstable storm of violence and insanity, this man held such danger under a mask like a snake watching and waiting with a smile that Tyrian would envy. He was pale sporting silver hair and his eyes were closed for some reason. He wore the same garment as the leading man, minus the sash that was black. He had a wakizashi decorated with a light-blue hilt and an oval tsuba.

Salem went to the remaining man standing to the left who was by far the most bizarre that she even widened her eyes. He was pale just as she was but his eyes were a cat-like green bearing no emotion but a cold, calculating mind. His black hair reached to the top of his neck with half of a bone white helmet, and green markings lined like tears below his eyes. He wore the same outfit as well, and his weapon sheathed at his hip was a katana with a green hilt and a guard with two curved extensions from the long sides and a line going through them to give the guard an eye-like appearance. But the most shocking detail to Salem that would mark a new experience for her was that the pale man had a hollow hole at his sternum where his heart should be.

Now begged the question. "Who are-"

"MY QUEEN!" Cried her resident maniac.

Salem almost wanted to facepalm. She was out in the open with three people that apparently ambushed her, so why wouldn't her most faithful servant come to her 'rescue' like the fanatic he is? The leading man quirked an eyebrow, but didn't do anything else for the incoming threat. The other two didn't even react at all even as the form of the scorpion Faunus was sprinting toward them, his golden eyes locked on the would-be attackers.

"ALL INTRUDERS MUST DIE!" Cried Tyrian, pouncing upon the pale man with his robotic tail aimed at his neck.

The pale man knew it was coming, but he never made a move to get out of harm's way and his expression just turned colder. Salem expected his nonchalance to Tyrian would be because the pale man had aura to protect himself from the blow. As a tail reached closer, Salem widened his eyes when there was no glimmer of light to stop its approach and ensure the man's death. There was no blood when the tip of Tyrian's tail hit his neck. Instead there was clang of steel striking steel instead and sparks went flying when the blade slid off skin, leaving no trace that the skin ever came in contact.

In Tyrian's moment of shock that his attack didn't work that was when the pale man struck like a snake. Without even taking a glance, he grabbed the offending robotic limb and in one swift motion wrapped around Tyrian's neck tight enough to make him gag and fall to his knees. Tyrian tried to move his own tail from choking him, but the metal in the limb only groaned under the pale man's grip. Ever slowly, his hand tightened the noose to choke the Faunus to death and not once did he glance to the dying man. That kind of cold attitude Salem respected, but to see it from a complete stranger without any prior knowledge unnerved her. She did not like unknowns. Salem would have let Tyrian die anyway if it wasn't for the leading man's intervention.

"Ulquiorra, I do not wish to see the death of one our new allies even before we've opened negotiations." Commanded the handsome man calmly.

"As you wish, Lord Aizen." Replied the now named Ulquiorra.

He let go of the tail and it immediately unwrapped itself from Tyrian's neck as the man fell flat to the ground gasping for death. The Faunus went to bark a retort only for Ulquiorra to slam his foot down with a crunch. His cold green eyes bore into Tyrian's golden ones and shutting him up with a glare that Salem thought only she could do.

"Trash should not speak." Ulquiorra hissed in a voice lacking emotion. Salem wondered about this man in particular. Perhaps he's a robot?

Then she realized what the identified Aizen said about allies. So this man came to speak with her personally. That was odd to say. Normally, Salem would find her own pawns since the world had forgotten her. Now she knew to be careful of this Aizen if he knew of Salem's existence whereas she didn't even know of him. Such a man carrying that kind of aura of power doesn't just hide from the world.

"Who are you?" Salem asked.

"Ah, where are my manners?" Chuckled Aizen. "I am known as Sosuke Aizen. These... generous men to my sides are my subordinates. To my right, you my most loyal soldier Ulquiorra Cifer, then to my left is Gin Ichimaru. A pleasure to meet a... splendid woman such as yourself."

Now Salem was no stranger to sweet talk. In negotiations such as these they were imperative, but there was something about his voice that just made heat go to certain places. Salem knew how to lock her features but she damn hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Charming." Salem spoke in a neutral voice. "I have to wonder how three men travel so far into Grimm territory and yet not have a single scratch on them."

"We have our ways." Aizen trailed off with that same smirk.

"...Why are you here?" Salem said.

"Straight to the point, I can respect that." Aizen replied. "What I propose is a mutual partnership between us for a common interest we share."

"And what sort of 'common interest' are you implying?" Salem said with narrowed eyes, expecting something like world domination.

"Why, the fall of incompetent gods." Aizen answered with a well-earned smirk that the absolute gobsmacked look on Salem's face.

Her eyes widened as they stared for any lie in Aizen's eyes, only to find none. He knew too much. Far too much for a human these days. There shouldn't be any record of the age before this era at all. She quickly pushed her shock away and steeled her features.

"And what sort of army do you speak of?" Salem asked.

Aizen smirked as though in victory. Instead of saying a word, black veils tearing through reality opened up behind him. Out stepped squads of similarly dressed men and women all holding katanas and holes in place of their hearts. They were all different from each other with the shards of masks they wore. Soon dozens of these white clad soldiers poured through the portals to Salem's amazement till they were three units of them. All at once, they bowed to Aizen.

"Ara, you do like to put up a show, Aizen-sama?" Spoke Gin for the first time, his voice even making Salem unease.

"This is but a taste, Salem." Aizen said. "And I have ways to improve your army of these Grimm as you call. Imagine an army like this made from your Grimm."

The concept was astonishing to Salem. She could finally make Ozma pay for his arrogance in thinking he could stop her. She could just imagine an army marching upon the cities of Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and even Atlas. However, Salem focused her attention back upon Aizen.

"You still have doubts?" Aizen wondered.

"When you live as long as I have, you tend to not make things hasty." Salem said. "So it peaks my curiosity the most of how a man such as yourself can command an army such as this."

Aizen chuckled. "Who am I to indulge a lady's curiosity?"

Salem regretted ever asking when the weight of the world smashed upon her shoulders. Her breath shuddered in gasps and her knees buckled. She strained her eye to lock onto Aizen, now surrounded in a brilliant purple aura reaching several stories high. He did not care for his subordinates that fell like flies behind, and the ground cracked like glass under this unknown weight. The pressure reached to the cliffs where her Grimm were falling like flies, and Tyrian was frothing at the mouth.

Aizen's spiritual pressure continued to rise without end while he was as calm as ever. He applied more and more waiting for Salem to go on one knee. To his surprise, she was keeping herself standing with only her shoulders hunched. He pulled his power more going over half of his power, which at that point made even Gin take a knee. Yet Salem persevered gritting her teeth, even when Aizen was going at sixty percent. He theorized she would fall at eighty percent, but he decided to let go of the pressure instead.

"I'm impressed." Aizen said as Salem regained her bearings. "To still stand in my spiritual pressure, I calculate you have about three to four times the amount of reiatsu than a captain in Shikai."

"Flattered." Salem growled.

"My apologies." Aizen said nonchalantly. "It was just a demonstration of my power. Besides, you peak my interest, Lady Salem. It's not everyday I have to pull out over half of my power at all and yet you still stood tall. So are we in agreement?"

"At this point, I would be a fool to pass up." Salem said. It was only half-true; with the resources Aizen has could be invaluable to her plans. On a personal note, Salem wanted to know just who this Aizen was and learn about him. For has been countless lifetimes, she stumbled upon a completely new mystery.

"A marvelous choice, _Salem-chan."_ Aizen said with a bit of a playful edge to his voice on the last part.

Behind him another tear in reality opened. Aizen stood there, his eyes locked on her own crimson orbs with a hand outstretched.

"Allow me to take you away from this dreary place." Aizen offered.

She didn't the reasons at this point why accepted. What felt like hours staring at that hand, Salem grasped it and Aizen escorted her through the portal to the unknown with a chivalrous manner.

* * *

 **I so wanted to make a chapter with just the villains. The arrancars this time will be a much, much bigger threat to the Soul Society in that they have a lot more in numbers from Aizen recruiting Gillians and regular Hollows due to having them trained by his new, or should I say old, ally Saint. The Espada especially will be a whole lot stronger, mostly because I was kind of mad with the canon arc and the inconsistencies of the characters' power levels. For example, if Ichigo, not even fully trained, had enough power with half of his mask on to overwhelm Hiyori who had over a hundred years to train, yet he could barely match Ulquiorra in his base form with his mask on while the Vizards were holding their ground against the higher echelon Espada.**

 **That shit don't fly with me, which is why there is going to be some drastic changes. New arrancars, new Espada, and new power levels. Grimmjow, for example, will be much stronger as the fifth Espada and being changed from a Vasto Lorde while Nnoitora isn't even a member. Most if not all the Espada will formerly be Vasto Lorde, and the one named Saint has her own elite unit since she is even stronger than Coyote Starrk and even Aizen puts her at even level with him. I have something very special planned for Ulquiorra, mostly because he is my favorite arrancar right after Grimmjow. At first he seems to be just at the level of his position, but by the end of it I will make him one of the strongest characters in the story standing on equal footing with the likes of Yamamoto, Ichigo, and Ruby in a way that I hope you guys will bear with me. And the Winter War will end in a way none of you will see coming. (Because Ulquiorra is my favorite character in Bleach).**

 **Also he will pairing, and you guessed it. We have an UlquiHime.**

 **Up next is Chapter 45.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	45. Revelations

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 45:** **Revelations**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

A flash of white was all they could see, then burning pain all over their body. With a pain-filled scream, our resident heroes came through the portal. First was the three of the four members of Team RWBY that were hurled by their leader. The trio soared through the white tear in space and skidded across the ground for a few feet. Their bodies were covered in black ash and a bit of smoke came off their bodies, but their Aura made them fine. Following the trio came the orange-haired hero Ichigo Kurosaki, his signature hair black from ash and his body smoking from the passage. Finally, Ruby the new arrancar arrived, her pale skin almost pitch black from the same substance. The only one who seemed mostly fine was Blake given her choice of color.

"Ow, that freaking hurt." Weiss complained, coughing slightly. "And that was not because you threw us, you dolt."

"What is with this black stuff all over us?" Yang said, shaking her hair and in her horror were blonde locks were also dirtied pitch black. "This stuff is in my hair!"

"Hat n' Clogs, why do I feel like I went through a furnace just now?" Ichigo said, leveling a glare at the scientist who was clean.

"In truth, that only happens to first timers." Kisuke answered honestly, gesturing to Ren, Jaune, and Nora who were cleaning themselves up off to the side with help from Senna using her zanpakuto to blow it off.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, her right eye blinking crimson. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I could've but it was too hilarious not to." Kisuke said.

Killing intent washed over the basement landscape, all directed at Kisuke. Nervous eyes slowly turned to the source to see a livid Yang. Her Aura sparked like flames off her hair and her eyes turned a blood red to match her birth mother. Her breathing was straining, a sign that she was losing her cool.

"So let me get this straight." Yang snarled, the air around her heating up. "It's because of you that my hair has been defiled like this?"

"Well... yes." Kisuke answered meekly.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Yang launched off like a rocket, her fist cocked back to blast Kisuke's head into a bloody mess. To the normal eye, she was a blur of blazing gold but to the shinigami and hybrids present she was only moving as fast as a seventh seat officer of the Gotei 13. Kisuke did not make any move to dodge. Not because he wasn't worried but rather the wrath of a woman will always be his greatest fear.

The golden haired older sister of Ruby only reached a few meters before a blur even to the shinigami's eyes intersected. There was a bang as Yang's fist connected with something and a dust cloud was kicked up from the force. The new arrivals to Earth expected to see Kisuke on the ground with a large bump. They were not expecting a tall and well endowed woman with chocolate brown skin, purple hair, golden eyes, and a smile only a happy cat could make. That was Yoruichi Shihoin introduced herself, wearing her 'kill me' bright orange jacket, intercepting and blocking Yang's most powerful punch.

"Now as much as I would like to see Kisuke eat his own teeth, let's all just simmer down for now." Yoruichi said sweetly to the gobsmacked Yang. "Besides, I get to meet some new interesting people."

Yang could only stumble back from Yoruichi's grip and sputter out words listlessly. "Wha - How -"

"Aww, don't feel too bad about that." Yoruichi consoled, flashing her a grin. "I am kind of impressed. A punch like that could shake up a lieutenant. Call me Yoruichi, so what's yours, firecracker?"

"Yang Xiao Long." Yang introduced with a bit of flair in her voice.

"You're Ruby's older sis, aren't you?" Yoruichi perked up, getting a nod from the sun-kissed blonde. "I can see where my little Rose-chan gets her fire. Speaking off, where is my cute student?"

"Hi, Yoruichi-sensei." Ruby greeted in a cheery tone and in a burst of shunpo was glomped in a tight hug by the resident purplenette.

"Oh my little Rose-chan, are you okay?" Cooed Yoruichi, whether or not intentionally smothering the arrancar into her bosom. "When I heard that Kisuke sent you away and that you got lost-"

Yoruichi paused in her rambling while her hands roamed over the top of Ruby's head and feeling two extra new appendages. She pulled the poor girl out of her bosom to get a closer examination. As Ruby gasped for breath, Yoruichi could only blink staring at the new pair of red-tipped black wolf ears adorned on her head. Her fingers laced behind the new furry ears, making Ruby freeze on contact. A shit-eating grin threatened to split Yoruichi's face in two as she started scratching the wolf ears and to her delight turn her student into a moaning mess.

"I think I have just a new nickname for you," Yoruichi almost squealed, "Puppy-chan."

Ruby was able to level a stare at Yoruichi and her ears twitch in mild irritation in response to the new nickname. Yang was keeled laughing at the display of being called a puppy, and Blake in the background made sure to cover her ears to save herself from embarrassment.

"I would like it if you stopped harassing Ruby-chan, Yoruichi." Interrupted Ichigo.

"Ooh, only three days and he's calling you 'chan' already." Yoruichi said to Ruby. "You work fast, Pup-chan. I am so proud of you."

It was only then Yoruichi noticed Ichigo and his new addition of a ten-foot long white tail thick with muscle that could easily lift a person up and smash rock. Instead of cooing over the animal appendage, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes in caution. She stretched out her senses and almost stumbled to the ground at his massive spiritual pressure. Not only had his reserves increased to the point he would be considered one of the Royal Guard, his reiatsu felt much more refined. He was still leaking spiritual pressure but it was no longer an unstable mess. She could sense Hollow, shinigami, and even Quincy working in harmony instead of battling for dominance, laced with the mysterious power of his Aura and Semblance granted by Ruby.

"...You have a tail." Yoruichi said, breaking her silence.

Ichigo sighed. "That seems to be the normal reaction."

"Not to be a bother!" Nora interjected. "Where are we anyway? Is this what Earth really looks like? Kind of dreary."

"We're actually in a basement." Ren answered.

"A basement?" Weiss said with a look of clear disbelief.

"Under a candy shop no less." Ren added, and immediately regretted it when Nora started bouncing all over the place at the mention of candy.

"Where's the candy?!" Nora frothed at the mouth. "I heard candy! Give me candy! Momma wants her candy!"

"Nora, calm down!" Ren said, holding Nora by the back of her arms. "There isn't any candy."

Nora pouted. "But I want my candy."

"But you literally can't." Yoruichi said. "Not without a gigai."

"A gi-wha?" Yang wondered.

Ruby glanced to her sister (cousin) and her eyes widened on the blonde's right side, specifically her arm.

"Yang, your arm." Ruby almost shouted, pointing to said limb.

"What about my... arm." Yang's voice trailed off and everyone stared at the limb in shock. Instead of the prosthetic given to her by Atlas, it was indeed a pure flesh limb minus the gauntlet of her Ember Celica. It was as if the arms was never cut off at the fall of Beacon at all.

"Kisuke, explain, now." Ruby demanded.

"I'm glad you asked, Pup-chan." Kisuke said "There's a reason why I called my newest and greatest invention the Physical World Gate. Your world has a rule of sorts much like the Soul Society. Any spirit, be it shinigami, plus, or Hollow, traveling to Remnant will take on a physical body, the direct opposite of the Senkaimon that converts physical bodies into spiritual ones."

"So you're basically telling us that we're ghosts?" Weiss asked.

"In simple terms, yes, Ice Queen." Kisuke answered.

"OH C'MON!" Weiss outraged at the title. Even in a new dimension, she wasn't immune.

"That doesn't that mean we're dead?" Blake wondered, causing Yang to gulp.

"Yes and no." Kisuke answered. "I see that none of you have a chain connected to your chests, so I can only theorize that you are technically alive and mortal, just lacking a body. I can fix up a perfect replica gigai real quick."

"Then please get started on it." Yang said with a bit of a whimper. "I don't know how I feel about being a ghost. Anyone else feeling lifeless?"

"It's okay, Yang." Ruby soothed. "Kisuke is practically the smartest person here. He'll get you all fixed up - OW!"

Ruby's sudden outburst was due to said former captain of the 12th Division using shunpo to get behind her and capture some of her blood through a syringe. He disappeared again, followed by exclaims from Ichigo, Nora, Jaune, Blake, and Weiss as Kisuke took their blood. Next, Kisuke pulled out a large device from his jacket as big as his head and inserted the blood vials. The machine let out a few beeps and displayed a monitor before dropping gigai candies in his palm.

"Here you go." Kisuke said before tossing one 'candy' each to the ones whose blood was taken.

"What the heck is with the candy?" Yang asked Ruby.

The wolf Faunus flashed a grin at the blonde before popping the candy into her mouth. There was a crunch that led to a bright light enveloping Ruby. Once it died down, Ruby looked as normal as any normal civilian of Kuoh wearing slim black jeans with sneakers and a red, long-sleeved top that hugged her curves, and her skin tone was back to what its porcelain look. To her relief, her new Faunus and arrancar features were not present so she wouldn't have to hide them from the public.

Yang actually widened her eyes at the display that could only be described as magic, and at the fact that her not-so little sister was packing in the 'asset' department. Ichigo was next eating the candy and his gigai came to life around him. He was wearing his highschool's dress code of a white buttoned, short-sleeved shirt with jeans and sneakers. Like Ruby, his tail was not present at all since it was considered a part of his soul form. To her joy, she had her red cloak back again, a function that Kisuke added that would allow her to wear it even outside her gigai.

The new Remnanties followed suit of the hybrids and ate their candies. They looked relatively the same, except that Blake was missing her cat ears to her sadness. Yang was wearing a less revealing outfit that reminded Ruby when they went after Torchwick and his robot mech. Brown cargo pants were held to her waist by two belts and she wore a white top underneath a black and white jacket that had some of the buttons opened to peek at her bust. Weiss, to her ire, was wearing casual clothing consisting of a white jacket and pants with high heels. Blake kept her color scheme of a black leather jacket that stopped at her midrift to reveal a grey shirt, short black pants, and boots. A black bow adorned the top of her head. Jaune's gigai was roughly simple, getting rid of the armor and weapons and only replaced his top with a blue shirt. Nora wore a white sweater and black pants.

"Do I have to have my ears hidden?" Blake whined.

"Sorry, Blake, but Faunus don't exist here." Ruby explained, which shocked Blake that they weren't any Faunus on Earth. "If people here found out you had real cat ears, consider the rest of your life inside of a lab to prod and study you."

Blake paled visibly and swore to herself to keep her gigai on at all times. Ruby turned her attention back to Kisuke, who was closely examining the device from earlier.

"Huh, isn't this interesting." Kisuke thought outloud, sparing glances between Ruby and Ichigo. "Take a look at this."

Ichigo and Ruby obliged, but all they saw was a screen with a bunch wavy lines and numbers that they couldn't make any heads or tails of.

"Uh, in case you didn't know, none of us scientists." Yang said.

Kisuke sighed. "To be a genius to a people full of simple ones is truly a blessing and a curse. Well, allow me to explain myself as I do enjoy doing. See, when I was taking Ichigo's blood sample, something very interesting came up. Most of you don't know this, but Ichigo is a very special case being a three-way hybrid of shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I get it. I'm a freak to nature sue me. Can you get on with it?"

"I was getting there, Kurosaki-san." Kisuke continued. "The usual hybrids are a cross of shinigami and Hollow, and come in two varieties as you know. Vizards are typically sixty percent shinigami and forty percent Hollow, which explains why their Hollow nature comes in through a mask. Arrancar are the opposite way being sixty percent Hollow and forty percent shinigami, given their still Hollow-like appearance but the addition of their own zanpakuto. Ruby is a bit special in her own way as she is perfectly fifty-fifty between Hollow and shinigami."

"So what makes me special?" Ichigo asked. "Aren't I just, you know, thirty-three percent each?"

"You would think that." Kisuke said. "However, my little friend says something else. Ichigo Kurosaki, you are somehow 300 percent: 100 percent shinigami, 100 percent Hollow, and 100 percent Quincy. You are a pure-blood of all three."

Ichigo wasn't some genius, but even he knew that should be impossible. The rest shared the same thought with Ruby staring at Ichigo with wide eyes and Weiss wiping her lower jaw on the ground.

"Y-You can't be serious, Hat n' Clogs." Ichigo said in shock.

"Deadly so." Kisuke confirmed. "I've already gone through several diagnostics, but this thing is not wrong, Ichigo. You are one weird case Masaki popped out."

"Speaking of," Ichigo muttered with a dangerous edge, "Goat-chin has some explaining to do."

"So you know." Stated Kisuke. "I can't stop you looking for answers. Well, enjoy your day and I welcome you all to Karakura."

With his words said, Kisuke disappeared. Ruby gave a concerned look to the frowning Ichigo as he made his way up the ladder, intent of getting home and figuring this mystery out. The arrancar glanced between her boyfriend and her friends struggling to make a decision of who to go with.

"So, uh," Ruby said, "want me to take you on a tour of the town? We could visit Ichigo's parents, see some friends I made here."

The trio exchanged some looks before Yang smiled at her leader. "We'll go wherever you go."

Ruby was so happy she had such wonderful friends.

"Hey Senna, want to come with us?" Ruby asked her teammate of Team SIRR.

"Nah, you go on ahead." Senna waved off, plopping down on the ground. "I've had enough crazy for a long time. I'll think I'll just rest here."

(Karakura Town)

While Ruby was closely following Ichigo, the trio of WBY were staring at the sights of Karakura Town. It wasn't the new architecture, but the way people carried themselves. Even in the cities the people always had an air of caution that they could be attacked by Grimm at any moment. Yet here the people were just as content with their lives as they could be without any worry whatsoever.

"This is-" Yang started, trying to find the right words.

"Nostalgic." Weiss added.

"Bizarre." Blake said.

"... Peaceful." Yang finished. "Everything here's just perfectly peaceful. Even on Patch, we were always on the lookout for a Grimm attack but here everyone is going on about their daily lives without a care in the world. It's just difficult to wrap my head around it that this is what a world without monsters is like."

"I agree." Weiss said. "But take in the fact that this world isn't completely harmless. Remember when Ruby talked about Hollows?"

"And the fact that normal people can't see them." Blake said her peace. "But still, Yang has a point. What seems everyday life here is paradise to us."

"Hey guys," Yang whispered to prevent Ruby from hearing them, "when, you know, Ruby and Ichigo get more..."

At Yang's reluctance to continue, an impatient tick mark appeared on Weiss' forehead.

"Well spit it out!" Weiss exclaimed.

"I mean, look at them." Yang said, gesturing to the hybrid couple, with Ruby holding Ichigo's left arm to her bosom and resting her head on his shoulder. "I've never seen Ruby this happy before. Not even when Mom was alive. At this point it's inevitable. Next thing you know, they are going on nightly outings alone, then comes the big one where she might move with him here and away from us."

Weiss and Blake started to realize that Yang wasn't in the best of mental states as her words became less coherent and literal tears were gathering in her eyes, making the pair sweatdrop. Her breathing became erratic as she clutched her head going high in her imagination. Blake had enough and grabbed her partner by her shoulders, effectively stopping her tirade as Yang was shedding a few tears.

"Yang, stop it." Blake said sternly. "There's nothing bad about Ruby having a partner in life. We should be happy for her."

"I know but," Yang whimpered, "why did she have to grow up so fast? Three months ago she was my little sister. Now she's a drop dead gorgeous woman with hot rod of a man to love. Does she even need us anymore?"

"It doesn't matter if she needs us or not." Weiss said sagely. "But she will want us. You know her better than anyone, and of course you would know Ruby would never abandon us."

"I guess you're right." Yang sniffled, wiping tears away from her eyes. "Can't believed I cried over that. I should be happy for Ruby. If all goes well, I think I'll have new family members to dote over."

Now it was Blake's turn for her imagination to go wild, except to more perverted thoughts. Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she imagined Ruby and Ichigo doing the 'unmentionable'. Their new looks did not help quell Blake's steamy thoughts and soon a crimson blush took over her cheeks. She turned away to prevent her teammates from finding out, but Yang caught on just in time.

"Did you just imagine my sister and Ichigo doing the sideways tango?" Yang demanded with a dangerous edge and eyes bleeding red.

"Oh for god's sake Blake, of all things?" Weiss reprimanded on the disguised cat Faunus.

"No, I-"

"Hey guys, what'cha doing back there?" Ruby called out from the distance. "We're going to meet Ichigo's family, so hurry up."

"On our way, sis." Yang shouted back before turning back with a glare towards Blake. "We'll talk about this later."

Blake's shoulders slumped and the trio caught up to the hybrid couple who were standing in front of the home of the Kurosakis. Ichigo ascended the steps to the door. He looked under the mat where they put their key and used it to unlock the door and walk into his home. He let a smile cross his face, knowing that just a few days away and he still missed his home with his sisters and father.

"Yuzu, Karin, I'm home." Ichigo called out.

"ONII-CHAN!"

He didn't even make a step into the house before a blur socked him in the gut with enough force to make the hybrid stumble down the stairs yet amazingly stay on his feet. Ichigo took a hold of the offending 'object' that impacted his gut only to have his eyes almost fall out of their sockets once he realized it was Yuzu, a girl barely in her tens with light brown hair and large eyes. At the door stood her twin sister Karin, the difference being black hair and a tomboyish look to her.

"Y-Yuzu, what the heck was that for?!" Exclaimed Ichigo, only to receive an Isshin-style grin from his little sister.

"I missed you so much, onii-chan." Yuzu said. "You leave without telling us for days. It's the least that I could do. That's what Dad said anyway."

"Speaking of, I now have another thing on my list for why I should kick his ass right about now." Ichigo snarled with a twitch in his eye.

"I tried to stop him, Ichigo, I really did." Karin said.

Yuzu looked behind to see Ruby and tackled her head into the hyrbid's stomach. Ruby let out a groan before righting herself as Yuzu trapped the older girl in a hug.

"Welcome, Ruby-onee-chan." Yuzu greeted cutely.

Ruby blushed a little being called 'sister' by one of the Kurosaki twins. Her friends gave her quizzical looks at the unknown words the girl used.

"Onee-chan?" Weiss wondered.

"It means 'sister' here in Japanese." Ruby explained, only to receive disbelieving looks that Ruby actually put time and effort in studying a language. "Don't give me that look. I can study when I want to. I can't just live around here when I can't understand half the people here. I'm just lucky the local school here makes English classes a requirement."

"I can honestly say I'm proud of you." Weiss admitted. "Wow, that felt odd to say that."

"Who are they, Ruby-onee-chan?" Asked Yuzu.

"Yuzu-chan," Ruby introduced Yuzu to her teammates, starting with Weiss, "this is my best friends, Weiss and Blake, and the blonde is my older 'sister' Yang."

"Hello." Yuzu greeted sweetly. "My name is Yuzu Kurosaki. I am Ichigo-onii-chan's sister and Karin is my twin."

"Aww, you are so precious." Cooed Yang, pinching Yuzu's cheeks.

"Don't try it, blondie." Karin warned when Yang turned her sights on her.

Yang pouted. "So cold. You would get along with her, wouldn't ya Weiss?"

"Screw you." Growled Weiss through gritted teeth.

"You wish." Teased Yang.

"Why you-"

"IIICHIIIIGOOOO!" Cried the clone of the Kurosaki family.

Ichigo did not change his expression as he sidestepped a very buff and built man with spiky black hair that launched from the house with a flying kick. While the man was still in midair, Ichigo caught him by this throat and choke slammed him into the ground hard enough to crack it. Surprisingly, enough the man was just fine with a bit bruising as though he had Aura protecting him.

"Well countered, son." Spoke Isshin Kurosaki. "I've trained you well."

In a surprise of strength, Ichigo managed to lift his father up by the collar of his neck, glaring at him at cold brown eyes. "What do you expect when you attack every second of my life, you crazy old man?"

"Uh, Ruby who is that nutcase?" Yang asked.

"That's-"

"Ooh, it is so wonderful to see you again, my third daughter." Greeted Isshin, somehow getting out of Ichigo's hold, flashing a smile full of teeth

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Third daughter? Ruby, who is this?"

"This is Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father." Ruby answered.

"THIS WEIRDO'S YOUR FATHER, ORANGE-HEAD!?" Exclaimed Yang before falling to the ground in laughter.

"There's no need for that." Isshin said, reaching into his white jacket. "Call me Dad. After all, you and Ichigo are close enough as it is."

Ruby and Ichigo erupted in crimson blushes when Isshin pulled out the photo of the hybrids' first kiss for all to see. Yang started to gush over it while Weiss and Blake were giving certain looks to Ruby and her bold act.

"So," Isshin said, "when can I start expecting grandchildren?"

And just like that the atmosphere turned to the worst way possible. Ruby's facial expression turned a bit murderous before she slammed Isshin to the ground.

"Pervert!" Ruby yelled, continuing to pummel on the incredibly durable man.

"That's enough out of you, old man." Ichigo snarled, joining in with his girlfriend sending kicks.

"Mercy."

"Hold him down right there."

"Not the face! Not the face!"

"This what you get for brainwashing Yuzu!"

"The front of my face! The side of cheek! The back of my back!"

Yang, Blake, and Weiss could only watch in dead silence as the couple beat down on Isshin without mercy then dragging him inside from the public. Once the door was shut, the three all at once turned to Karin for answers, only to meet a blank face.

"Welcome to the Kurosaki house." Karin stated dryly.

(Inside)

"Hey it was - OW - it was just a joke." Isshin begged as he was slammed on top of the table.

"Shut it, Goat-chin." Ichigo growled. "It's what you deserve for keeping secrets."

"What do you are talking about?" Isshin feigned innocence.

"You know perfectly well." Ruby added. "Even I'm not particularly happy."

"You knew about everything." Ichigo almost shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "The Hollows, shinigami, everything about the supernatural. Just... who are you, Dad?"

"Son, I-"

"Did you know Mom was a Quincy?" Ichigo shouted the question.

A dead silence fell on the entire house after Ichigo's shout. Isshin had his eyes wide at the question staring at Ichigo and trying to find out if this was a dream. His facial expression changed instantly to a more serious look. With a sigh, he somehow disappeared out of Ichigo's grip in the all-too familiar technique known as shunpo. The hybrids' widened eyes locked on Isshin who took a seat on the other side of the table.

"This is going to take a while so take a seat." Isshin suggested and the hyrbids.

"Right so, where should I start?" Isshin said with a sad smile.

"How about who the hell are you?" Ichigo demanded.

Isshin sighed. "Okay. My name is Isshin Shiba, former head of the noble house of the Shiba clan, and former captain of the Squad 10 of the Gotei 13."

Ichigo's eyes widened with surprise and Ruby blurted out in shock. "Y-You're a shinigami!?"

"He's related to Kukaku!?" Ruby exclaimed, getting flashbacks of the lively Shiba siblings.

"In the flesh." Isshin said. "Though Soul Society doesn't even know that I'm alive. I was content with having a life as a doctor. It's harder to save lives than it is to take them."

Ichigo put on his 'battle mode' scowl and put a hand in front of Ruby. "If you're a shinigami-"

"Ichigo I'm offended that you would think I would harm Ruby even if she's giving off the presence of a Hollow." Isshin corrected, clearly offended. "What I find surprising is that it feels... pure in a way."

"I still have my heart." Ruby informed.

Isshin shook his head in exasperation. "You two are just full of surprises. The moment you came to the house, Ichigo, I thought a shinigami captain, a Quincy, and a Hollow were at my door at once. But we're getting off topic on my interrogation. What else do you want to know?"

"Mom." Ichigo said. "Was she really a Quincy? How did you two actually meet?"

"Ah, my dear Masaki-chan." Isshin said sweetly, momentarily going down memory lane. "She was indeed a Quincy, but she was still the woman I will forever love, Ichigo. She was breathtaking, nothing like the stories I've heard of Quincies being ruthless and all that. She was kind, cheery, and so understanding it was like we weren't shinigami and Quincy in a blood feud but two people who just met.

"How we met is really not too far from how I told you and the twins. You know, she helped me out then I helped her back. The full story goes and starts on the day when I was on patrol in a city a few of subordinates were getting killed and I was suddenly ambushed by a Hollow. Not just any Hollow, but a Vasto Lorde that knew how to fight like a shinigami. A certain bastard cut my back preventing me from using my Bankai. I was just about to be done with a point-blank cero until your mother made her first appearance. She pinned the Hollow down and took a bite to the shoulder, but it allowed her to blast its head off. We made our introductions and I instantly took a liking to her."

Ruby elbowed Ichigo with a smile. "Your mom sounds awesome."

"Skip forward to the day I snuck back to the human world." Continued Isshin. "I find out that Masaki was dying from Hollowfication because of that Hollow's bite. The only way to save her was to sacrifice my powers to do so. I did it without hesitation. With the help of Kisuke, I made a life here and opened my clinic. The rest is obvious. Got married and had three wonderful children to call my own."

Ruby was almost moved to tears between the wonderful romance, like that Romeo and Juliet she once read of two opposite sides only it came true. However, she was worried when Ichigo had his head bowed and his bangs shadowed his face. Isshin rose from his chair and walked to the pair till he was in front of him.

"Ichigo," Isshin said before dropping on all four limbs in a bow, "forgive me for keeping you in the dark, and lying about the cause of your mother's death. I only wanted what any father would want for his children. A life without danger and the supernatural, but I realize it was going to be inevitable. I'm sorry, my son."

"... Dad, get up." Ichigo murmured.

Isshin sighed as he stood up. "Alright son, bring it on."

Instead of a punch to the face or a kick to the groin, Ichigi enveloped his father in a hug. Isshin was so caught off by the action that all he could do was keep his jaw closed.

"Stupid old man." Ichigo said. "I can't be mad at you about that. All you wanted was to look out for us. Mom was the greatest of us. She wouldn't want us hating each other for stupid reasons."

"Thank you, Ichigo." Isshin said, suddenly pulling Ruby into the hug. "C'mon, you're a part of it as much as the rest of us."

The three shinigami stayed in the hug, uncaring of how much time passed. Reluctantly, it was Isshin who broke the hug.

"Girls, you can come out of your hiding spot." Isshin called.

"Eep!"

Following the outburst was the appearance of the Kurosaki twins. Isshin sighed with a chuckle.

"We've got a lot to talk about." Isshin said, looking outside and seeing the sun set. "Ruby-chan, why don't you head back home? It's getting a bit late."

Ruby glanced Ichigo. "Are you sure you don't need me here?"

Ichigo smiled. "Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ruby nodded and walked onky to suddenly turn back to kiss Ichigo on the lips. He was caught completely by by surprise that Ruby used a little tongue action. They didn't know how long they were doing it until Ruby let go for the need to breath. While Ichigo was too dumbfounded Ruby was giving a lecherous and seductive smile.

"Bye I~chi~kun~." Ruby said sweetly before disappearing with her Semblance.

Isshin grinned perversely at his blushing son. "She's a quite the minx. So when is the wedding?"

"Urusai, old man." Ichigo grumbled.

All Ichigo got in return was the roar of his father's laughter.

 _Preview of the future..._

 _"So now we're hunting Bounts?"_

 _"Freaking vampires!?"_

 _"I am joining the Gotei 13."_

 _"Hello taichou. My name is Kakyoin."_

 _"We're getting those whachmacallits?!"_

 _"Welcome to the my Fracione, Adam Taurus."_

 _"Is that you, Pyrrha?"_

 _"J-Jaune!?"_

 _"What are you doing, scrawny boy?"_

 _"Obliterate, Alfa!"_

 _"H-How can someone be this strong?!"_

 _"All humans deserve is death."_

 _"What is a heart?"_

 _"A heart... is more than just a physical object."_

 _"I'll help you find the heart because I know you're a good person."_

 _"Orihime... you are my sun... my light... my heart."_

 _"I will not let you destroy Orihime's light."_

 _"You are a fool to believe in that human, Ulquiorra."_

 _"I've been a fool for too long. Orihime is proof that they are far more than what you think."_

 _"I never remembered my life before being as a Vasto Lorde... because I was born in the darkness."_

 _"Perhaps you are my equal, Ren."_

 _"The Hogyoku chose me, but why?"_

 _..._

 _Two figures in white stood floating over the ruined landscape of the fake Karakura Town. They were that was left of the defeated Gotei 13 and Las Noches forces. On was Aizen, his hair reaching down his back and his the white of his eyes replaced by deep purple and silver pupils, and the Hogyoku embedded in his chest. The other staring down at his in defiance was Ulquiorra Cifer. His once emotionless expression was replaced with fierce determination, his skin holding a much more life in it, his helmet now adorning his whole head like a gold and green crown, and the lack of a hollow hole on his sternum._

 _"I am deeply disappointed, Ulquiorra." Aizen said. "Among all my subordinates, I thought you were my most loyal. My right hand. It seems I was wrong."_

 _"I only realized what I am in this world." Ulquiorra retorted. "Your ambitions will endanger the life of one who I owe myself to entirely. You were only working for your own gain. A parasite that I will eliminate."_

 _Aizen couldn't help but laugh at what seemed to be a hilarious joke. After his infusion with the Hogyoku and his ascension into godhood, he had to wonder what belief did Ulquiorra have faith in that he could win. Was it because of that girl? If so, then it only made the man laugh harder. However, Aizen did take minor interest in Ulquiorra's new appearance... and the fact that he could not sense a single amount of reiatsu from him._

 _"Allow me to show you where you belong." Aizen proclaimed. "Beneath my foot."_

 _And so, violet reiatsu flared off Aizen's body like an inferno as he brought the weight of his ascended power upon Ulquiorra. Normally, a lower-echelon entity wouldn't even feel his reiatsu because of how vast it was. However, if he focused he could literally crush anybody with it alone._

 _But to Aizen's shock, Ulquiorra didn't even bat an eye. In fact, emerald reiatsu burned off his body to the point of a blinding nova. It completely outclassed Aizen's purple aura as an emerald pillar split the sky in two. Aizen could even feel a weight on his shoulder, yet he could not sense a single bit of reiatsu from Ulquiorra._

 _Could he - No! Aizen refused to believe it! He had ascended passed the boundaries of Hollow and shinigami. There's no_ _possibility a regular Vasto Lorde was even close to his level._

 _Ulquiorra paid no mind and withdrew his blade and took a simple stance pointing it forward. He started a chant, filled with words that somehow echoed to the very core of reality._

 ** _"I am the chosen of the Free,_**

 ** _Born in the dark to bring the light,_**

 ** _Lost in the curse of the eternal night,_**

 ** _For I sneer at the Divine,_**

 ** _And uphold the Dream._**

 ** _My green light shall cast judgement,_**

 ** _Those who are wrong shall remain a beast of their sins and lurk in the shadows,_**

 ** _Yet those in right shall have their heart and a second life._**

 ** _I shall give mercy and bring life,_**

 ** _Where others have defiled and ignored._**

 ** _I am the Heart of the Deserted Land,_**

 ** _To make a paradise for those who were denied,_**

 ** _And bring a green dawn to all who seek._**

 ** _Let those who dare curse the land take my warning,_**

 ** _For I loathe your ignorance, Soul King._**

 ** _Bring judgement, Tierra Libre."_**

 **This shit is going to be intense. I am going to work through some of the filler arcs before getting to the Winter War, but it will be worth the wait.**

 **I like to note my opinion where Ichigo's strength stacks in Soul Society. He is definitely one of the most strongest, but I can only rank him as one of the Royal Guard, but definitely not as strong as Yammamoto. As for Ruby in her arrancar state, I put her at mid-tier captain Bankai level, for now at least.**

 **I do plan to give Blake, Jaune, Weiss, Yang, and Nora zanpakutos, and I already have names figured out.**

 **As with the thing with Ulquiorra, I am going to give him a backstory to make sense of this. If those that are complaining of characters going God-like... meh I got nothing except it all goes in plan for a sequel after the arc of the Blood War. Involving DxD. Yes, I sometimes think that far ahead.**

 **The reason I had Aizen recruit Salem is because simply he likes manipulating people and using them. He knows that Salem's immortality will be a great weapon in the war and her endless horde of Grimm gives him an advantage of numbers over Soul Society. Cinder, Neo, and Adam are recruited by Saint for her eye of talent that she won't waste them for. That is all I have to say.**

 **Up next is Chapter 46.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	46. The Return of Renji

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 46: The Return of Renji**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Five days later)

Ichigo would never have thought that he would miss school. It wasn't like he hated going to the academy, but it felt relieving for the hybrid to have a sense of normalcy. After all the craziness over a week ago with him and Ruby dealing with their Inner Hollows, going Vasto Lorde, ripping a tear into the Dangai, traveling to an alternate universe, fighting an ancient Vasto Lorde turned arrancar, and then having his full power awakened, Ichigo needed a break away from the supernatural, but not everything was the same.

First off would be that he was in an official relationship with Ruby. Apparently, Ichigo's apparent closeness with the "American" girl was the talk of the entire town. On the first day back to high school Ichigo was barraged with congrats from the male population, though admittedly with some cursing his existence when they saw the drop dead gorgeous girl that captured his heart as they would say. Most of the girls in the school were in fact praising Ruby like a goddess based solely on the fact that she was the girl out of everyone to get Ichigo's special intention, much less be his girlfriend. Even Orihime congratulated, but her smile was a little off to the hybrid, like it was forced. Heck, even Keigo was praising Ichigo for becoming a man, and lost a few teeth for a few lewd comments.

'Was I seriously that bad?' Thought Ichigo thinking over the times girls would be strange around him.

 _ **'Yes, you freaking were.'**_ Zangetsu Y barked. _**'You practically had an army of girls swooning over you, yet you never paid any attention to them. It was like you were gay. Makes me all the more glad Queenie can be extra... forward if you know what I mean.'**_

At that reminder, Ichigo yet again cursed Yoruichi for corrupting Ruby like that. Just three days ago, Ruby and Ichigo went on another date at a firework show. Let's just say at the end of it Ruby was the one to initiate a very heated make-out session that Ichigo couldn't resist to. He found himself day by day of his self-control melting away, which was evident on that date when his hands kept roaming where his prudish nature would ban him from going. It made him the more excited that Ruby paid no mind at all, Hollow nature or not. Ichigo just hoped to Kami that he wouldn't start sounding like Zangetsu Y.

 _ **'Hey, what makes you think she'll hate that?'**_ Zangetsu Y teased with a cackle. **_'Admit it Ichigo. You love her wild side She is becoming more of a hot minx in your eyes, and one day the both of you are gonna lose whatever self-control. Ha-ha-ha-ha.'_**

BOP!

 _'I believe that's enough of your perverted fantasies.'_ Zangetsu X warned.

 ** _'OWW!'_** Zangetsu Y whined. _**'What makes you think it's a fantasy when it's true? Sure, Queenie can be all lovey-dovey as much as Kingy wants, but at the end of the day he loves that fierce side of her. Hey, remember when she was putting her friends through the ringer?'**_

How could he not?! It was the day after they returned and Ruby had invited Ichigo to her team's workout session. Basically, her three teammates ganging up her while she beat the crap out of them to get them into shape. It showed Ichigo the true sadist that was hidden in the sweet woman he had come to treasure. But it didn't make her less sexy at all, if not more.

Ichigo's eyes widened in horror at the thought. _'I blame you.'_

 ** _'I can neither confirm nor deny it, ha-ha-ha.'_** Zangetsu Y cackled.

* * *

(Flashback)

(Que "Number One")

"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked.

She was out of her gigai with her weapon Myrtenaster in hand. The Remnanties were fortunate that their weapons they had on person could also change over to their spiritual bodies and could be stored in their physical bodies. They could even summon their weapons to the physical plane through some concentration, and any Dust related attacks now drew upon their reiryoku.

As of now, Weiss, Yang, Blake, Nora, and Jaune were standing at one side of an area in the basement underneath Kisuke's candy shop staring down at a calm Ruby. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she didn't bother drawing her zanpakuto. Her red cloak billowed in the winds generated in the artificial wasteland, and she flexed her hands testing out her new strength of her arrancar body. Ruby recently discovered that she could change the appearance of her mask fragments and was now adorned with the upper jawlines of a wolf's maw on the sides of her cheek. Off to the side watching the Remnanties were Ren, Ichigo, Kisuke, and Yoruichi, the latter of which brought a literal bucket of popcorn to watch the 'massacre' she knew her student was about to unleash.

"Oh, I'm very sure." Ruby confirmed, flashing a sweet, yet predatory grin with a dangerous gleam in their eyes.

As much as they didn't want to accidentally hurt Ruby, they couldn't help the shiver of dread that went down their spines. Simultaneously, the Remnanties readied into their stances with the click of their weapons activating. Ruby's posture remained relaxed and she didn't bother drawing her blade. The only change was her grin widening to the point her canines were visible.

Ruby in past would never hurt them so bad, would she? How wrong they were.

Ruby started the fight, launching off with a tremendous bang that held enough force to crater the ground. None of them even saw her coming until Ruby planted a palm strike to Yang's gut. She spat out a mouthful of saliva as the air was knocked out of her, but Ruby made sure to not shatter her Aura. Next, Ruby flowed through the motion twisting on her feet aiming to Weiss. Before the Schnee realized it, her arm with Myrtenaster was knocked to the side leaving her open for Ruby to strike her chin. Lastly, Ruby struck Blake in the gut. All this happened in under five seconds and the three were sent off, with Weiss and Blake skidding across the ground and Yang crashing into a rock formation.

"Oh, don't be sour." Ruby giggled, her predatory grin ever present. "That was just a love tap."

Nora came down from the sky with a war cry and her hammer coming down. Ruby crouched down into a lower stance, and, in a shocking display of superhuman feat, blocked the hammer with her forearm. Instead of bone snapping, the hammer hit the limb like it would on a slab of solid steel, thanks to Ruby focusing on her new Hierro. Nora clicked a button, blasting a grenade in Ruby's face and using the blast to go back in the air for another try. Ruby sidestepped the hammer, and once Nora's weapon was stuck in the ground Ruby headbutted the Huntress with enough force to lift her into the air, then pivoted around in a handstand to land a double kick, thus sending Nora crashing through several boulders.

"I'm okay..." Moaned Nora from inside a Nora-shaped hole.

"Man, she is really kicking their asses." Commented Ichigo.

"Bet you love seeing Pup-chan all fierce and ruthless." Yoruichi teased, getting the desired blush that told everything, then thinking. _'Who knew Ichigo was that kind of guy?'_

Jaune was the last going for a basic downward swing with Crocea Mors. Ruby looked blankly at the shining blade coming down before whipping her left hand up and stopping it with two fingers. Sweat went down Jaune's forehead, but he kept his nerves in time to use his shield to block a 'tap' from Ruby's right fist. There was a ring of steel like a bell going off followed by Jaune skidding across the ground before tumbling in a roll.

Ruby's wolf ears perked up to the returning combatants that recovered from her blows. This time they brandished different weapons, with Blake and Weiss dual wielding with Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud. They were Asuachi, blades essential for creating a zanpakuto. Ruby had planned on a full plan on getting her friends stronger than they were by giving them the powers of the shinigami, but she was not going to risk using the Shattered Shaft. She chose a much slower but safer way by simply giving them an Asauchi to use. Ruby's idea in their training goes that the more they use them the more connected the blade will become via their Aura and eventually become zanpakuto. Kisuke was happy to give an Asauchi to everyone of the Remnanties, with Ruby giving Weiss the blank zanpakuto of Baishin, if only to see if this new regiment would work.

That was why Ruby was giving them the rough treatment. Certainly not because she enjoys it, but Ruby took Kisuke's lessons to heart that the more danger the body is in, the more powerful the soul will force itself to become. Thus, the process will become much faster, or at least she theorized. At least she could get a kick out of it.

Ruby flattened her hands like blades as her teammates closed in on her at all sides. While Yang was sloppy with her style focusing on fists, Weiss and Blake were much more coordinated with their sword strikes. Yet Ruby dodged through the flurry of steel like flowing water, occasionally parrying away with her hands thanks to her iron skin.

"Stay still!" Yang exclaimed, making a clumsy sweep with her blade.

The next they saw Ruby she was standing on the flat of the blade with supreme ease before she did a twisting kick that struck Yang's cheek. Weiss and Blake wisely backed off followed by Jaune jumping in the air. The Faunus and Schnee nodded before charging back in at the same time Jaune would end in his swing, cutting off all form of escape for Ruby. It was too late to see the devil's grin on her face at the tactic.

Just before impact Ruby zipped into action first backhanding Weiss, then kicking Blake, and finally launching up into an uppercut to Jaune. The move was done in a span of one second, and there was enough force in Ruby's blows to send her friends rocketing off. Jaune was knocked out of the tor - er, spar when he repeatedly hit his head on his fall and his only saving grace was his Aura that broke in the end.

 ** _'Think they've had enough yet?'_** Cristina said. _**'I think they can go for more.'**_

 _'I think so too, sis.'_ Ruby agreed, her grin going full evil as she watched Weiss, Yang, and Blake struggle on their feet.

The fight continued on, devolving into a game of cat and mouse as the Remnanties fled from Ruby who was giggling insanely. Ichigo could almost feel sorry for him if his attention wasn't fixed on Ruby in a certain light and his ears were barraged by the cheers of pride from Yoruichi.

* * *

(Flashback End)

The Remanties learned on that day that Ruby could be even more scary and cruel than Professor Goodwitch. Also if being technically full Hollow made him develop questionable fetishes surrounding Ruby's personality, then he knew that his life was going to be more troublesome and more strange than even Orihime's imagination. Thank Kami that her reputation saved them from being found out by Tatsuki.

On a side note and to his loathing, Isshin had involved his little sisters into the supernatural. Ichigo hated it, but he had to admit to himself it was inevitable since the twins had similarly high reiatsu reserves being hybrids themselves between Quincy and shinigami. Karin especially wasn't going to put up with Ichigo leaving her out and practically dragged Isshin off to train as a shinigami. She had already been given an Asauchi, though she was only going through meditation practices in her spiritual form to turn it into a zanpakuto and unlock her powers. He was thankful that Yuzu, being the sweet girl that she is, was more hesitant to join, but he could only hope at least one of his sisters will be out of this.

Ichigo sighed in exasperation at the line of thoughts. To say it would be awkward running into Karin during his patrol would be an understatement. She was too young but she could be even more stubborn than Ichigo and Goat-chin combined. He snapped out of his thinking to return his attention back to the class. Just in time too as the teacher rose from her chair to get the everyone's attention.

"I have some good news to share." The teacher announced. "We will be receiving some new foreign transfer students in our class."

The door slid open to reveal four girls wearing the school uniform. Ichigo widened his eyes and he went still once he processed who it was that transferred into his class. Walking into class was his girlfriend Ruby with a sweet smile on her face followed by the rest of Team RWBY.

The teacher began. "Now I know that some of you are not fluent in English, so I'll-"

"Please, allow me." Interrupted Ruby speaking in perfect Japanese. "Ohayo, everyone. My name is Ruby Rose. These are my friends Blake Belladona, Weiss Schnee, and that is my sister Yang. We all moved from America to live in this wonderful country. So please take care of us."

People were not expecting Ruby to speak in perfect Japanese, then some realized that it was the beauty that caught that resident prude's heart. The room exploded with worship from girls, and to Ichigo's annoyance some whooping. He was still processing the fact that Team RWBY was here that he didn't register Ruby taking the seat right next to him until she, not whispered, not kissed, but nibbled his earlobe.

"Hello, I~chi~kun~." Ruby greeted in a sing-song voice. "Happy to see me?"

"... Yes." Ichigo admitted. "How are you here?"

"Seems Kisuke outsmarted us by making our gigai younger than we should." Ruby said gesturing to her cousin and friends sitting behind the pair. It was small, but Ichigo did notice a small height difference than when they are in their spiritual forms. "The same goes for Jaune and Nora, who are in a different class with Ren looking out for them."

"Why did Hat n' Clogs do this?" Ichigo groaned.

"Beats me, orange-head." Yang said, going full delinquent putting her feet on the desk and leaning back.

"It's not too bad." Blake countered, reading a familiar orange book. "It would be nice to learn about something that doesn't include fighting for our lives."

"That we can agree on." Weiss supported, and black and white shared a high-five pulling out texts.

"Just be careful." Ichigo warned. "There are some people who are just too... bizarre for comfort."

"Keigo?" Ruby deadpanned.

"Keigo." Ichigo confirmed.

"Hey."

All five turned to the voice, and Yang couldn't help but drool at the brown giant that was Chad, who was wearing the biggest size of the school uniform yet the shirt was still tight on his muscles. Chad let a visible eye show on sight of the new faces, and got a nod from Ichigo.

"Chad, meet Weiss, Blake, and Yang." Ichigo introduced while pointing in that respective order.

Chad gave his usual hum of acknowledgement and focused his gaze on Blake. The disguised Faunus was a bit sheepish under the stare, like he was trying to stare into her soul.

"I like your bow."

That was not what Blake was expecting. She expected the giant to come off as abrasive, but there seemed to be a gentleness despite his intimidating presence. Absently, Blake touched her bow, wondering if Chad would like her real cat ears.

"Hey Chad, can I ask you a question?" Ichigo said. "Was I... really that bad with girls?"

"Honestly," Answered Chad, leaning his head down to his level, "yes. Yes, you were."

That caused the hybrid to face plant into the desk and create a cloud of misery. Ruby could only laugh at Ichigo's misfortune. The teacher was giving the pair of hybrids an odd look before shrugging her shoulders and saying something about, "Young love."

Despite Team RWBY's surprising appearance, everything was going as normal as Ichigo wanted. No more dealing with Hollows. No more travelling dimensions. And no more getting random animal appendages. Just his regular life, with Ruby as a love interest, with absolutely no worry-

"Where are you hiding!?" Cried a familiar voice from outside. "Come on out here."

The room snapped to attention, trying to find the source of the voice. Uryu, the resident broken Quincy, recognized the voice. Ichigo and Ruby knew it was familiar and their attention was fully caught when the voice called out Ichigo. The pair with WBY leaned towards the window to find a man with red hair tied in a pineapple-shaped ponytail and wore hippy-style clothing. It took few seconds for Ichigo to process through his mind before he identified the man.

"What the hell!?" Exclaimed Ichigo.

"Ichigo, you know that guy?" Asked Keigo. "He's all hippied out."

Yang glanced to Ruby. "Okay, sis, who is that?"

"I guess he's an acquaintance." Ruby said with a sweatdrop. "I think I know him from somewhere."

"Let me guess, he's from this Soul Society." Weiss said, getting a nod from Ruby. "Does he have to make a scene? Not something you want to do if you are a secret supernatural society."

"You bring up a good point." Ruby agreed.

"Hey Ichigo, is he-"

"A relative!" Ichigo shouted, bolting out the room.

RWBY followed after him, but not before Ruby stopping at the door. "Uh, we'll take care of this, Miss."

Now outside, Ichigo sprinting hard enough towards Renji to kick up a cloud of dust. The lieutenant was completely oblivious to the mood, and as he was greeting Ichigo he was caught in a clothesline and dragged behind the bushes, followed by RWBY. Ichigo didn't hesitate to push him into a tree.

"Oi, what the hell-" Renji complained before abruptly cutting himself off when Ichigo willed the white blade of Zangetsu Y into the physical plane and planted into the trunk of the tree, inches from his face.

"What the hell are you ****ing doing?!" Ichigo snarled.

 _'What the hell?!'_ Renji thought as he had a cold sweat. _'He's able to summon his zanpakuto into the physical plane. That's impossible, only captains have that kind of focus to pull that of.'_

Renji was about to bark a retort before Ruby arrived planting her zapakuto eerily close to his family jewels, followed by the tip of Myrtenaster aimed at his throat and the cocking of the guns of Gambol Shroud and Ember Celica at his ears with the barrels aimed at his head. His fit of anger turned into a nervous breakdown once he realized that he was at the mercy of Ichigo and four girls. His eyes widened recognizing Ruby that had her zanpakuto aimed at his crotch, and just by a look he could tell just how far apart in strength they were. If he had good sensory skills, Renji would've sensed her reiatsu was that of a Hollow but pure.

"What the-"

"I'll be asking the questions." Ruby interrupted, inching her blade closer. "So... who are you?"

"What?" Renji replied incredulously. "You seriously do not remember me?"

"Mmm." Ruby hummed in thought. "I'd remember someone with a red pineapple for hair."

Yang laughed as Renji got a tick mark. "I'm the lieutenant of Squad 6."

"Nope."

"Oh c'mon. We fought in the Sereitei a few months ago, remember that?"

Ruby snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh, now I remember. You're that guy Ichigo beat up."

"THAT'S SERIOUSLY ALL YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!?" Screamed Renji in shock.

"Yeah, pretty much." Ruby deadpanned, causing Renji to face-fault in shame.

"Oof." Joked Yang. "Gonna need to go to the hospital for that one."

"Yang, seriously, just stop." Groaned Blake, her cat ears twitching within her gigai.

"Mind explaining what the heck you're doing here?" Ichigo growled out, and if he were out of his gigai his tail would be slamming on the floor.

"Why should you care?" Renji replied nonchalantly. "There's no reason to get all upset."

"Oh yes there is, yelling in front of everybody." Ichigo said.

"I have to agree with him." Weiss interjected. "We're supposed to hide the supernatural away from the people as I believe, not yell it out like a bunch of buffoons."

Now Renji actually looked embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, when you put it like that... Look it's just been a long time since I've been to the human world in a real body."

"Then you need some catching up to do." Ichigo said, pulling Renji to his feet. "So I'll ask again. Why are you here?"

"I was assigned to this Karakura Town." Renji explained, and WBY withdrew their weapons. "Mr. Urahara told me where you were, I came to see you. I'm in charge here."

Ichigo put on a smug grin. "You got demoted, didn't you?"

"I did not!" Renji outraged. "I had to come over here because of idiots like you leaking spiritual pressure."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ichigo feigned as apologetic while keeping that grin. "It's not my fault that I have more reiatsu than you and Byakuya combined."

Renji wanted to retort, but any words died in his throat. Ruby snickered at Renji getting speechless, followed by the rest of her friends. A tick mark bulged on lieutenant's forehead, but the scene stopped when they heard the familiar wail of a Hollow.

All six spiritual warriors looked behind them to the source of reiatsu as the sky darkened on the spiritual plane. From the sky dropped a regular Hollow two stories tall with grey skin and beefy arms. The spiritual sensitive humans such as Uryu, Chad, and Orihime were keeping their cool, but they were internally panicking as the creature came closer.

"Damn this gigai!" Renji growled as he struggled to get free of his physical body. "Ichigo, can you take care of this?"

Renji was not expecting silence from the hybrid, and when he glanced to Ichigo all he saw was a confident expression.

"Alright, who wants a crack at it?" Ruby perked up, and Yang's hand rose the fastest, followed by Weiss.

"Okay, Yang and Weiss, go break some bones." Ruby ordered with a grin.

The two dispelled themselves from their gigai, shocking Renji that these people could be other shinigami. They were roughly the equivalent of sixth seat, but he knew there was something strange about them with their reiatsu and the weapons they carried. He was too busy in his own thoughts that he didn't realize the duo spring into action in the tactic known as Freezerburn.

Weiss, with her weapon fueled by her Aura instead of Dust, stabbed the ground to make a line of frost on the ground that trapped the Hollow's feet, preventing it from climbing the building. Yang took the next charge and smashed her fist to shatter its knee while Weiss blurred the distance to cut into its legs. As the monster fell, Yang cocked back her left fist and added a shotgun blast for power to send the Hollow back across the field.

"Hey Weiss, I've got a crazy idea I want to try." Yang said with her signature grin.

"Okay?" Weiss said, a bit unsure.

"How big can you make one of your summons?" Yang asked with her grin growing bigger.

As Weiss and Yang planned, the wounds on the legs healed and the Hollow gave a howl. Its eyes glowed with rage at the humans that dared to prevent from eating its prey, and was now intent on making them his next meal. The Hollow slowly stood up, only to met with the sight of a translucent blue warrior over a story tall covered in armor. Weiss was concentrating with a glyph spinning wildly beneath her and controlling the giant's movements. It cocked its right arm back where it held Yang.

"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked nervously.

"Of course I am." Yang cried. "Launch me."

Weiss sighed and the giant armored construct launched its arm forward in a perfect throw, all the while Yang whooped in the rush of adrenaline. As lost in instinct the Hollow was, even it had to take pause to process the bizarre scene that was a human being thrown towards him. That would cost its life as Yang cocked her fists back and aimed for its mask.

"HERE COMES THE YANG!"

As the pun implied, there was a big bang of yellow fire going off once Yang's fists made impact with the mask. Yang crashed back to the ground like a ball of fire, yet was not hurt in the slightest. The same could not be said for the Hollow with its all head literally blown off. It didn't even make it to the ground before it disappeared into dust.

"Now that was freaking awesome." Laughed Yang, jumping back into her gigai.

"Let's go, we're going to miss our classes." Blake ushered as she, Ruby, Yang, Ichigo, and Weiss walked back to the school.

"Ugh, why did we have to be here again?" Yang complained.

"You should appreciate learning academics besides fighting, Yang." Weiss retorted.

Renji could only stare with a slack jaw as the five spiritual warriors returned to class like nothing had ever happened. He abandoned his wonder when a headache was starting to come up, and now was cursing his captain for giving him this assignment that he knew was going to spell trouble for him.

* * *

 **I am taking this slow and steady with the chapters. When it comes to this story, I want to keep it at least three thousand words per chapter. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I don't want to type too much in one single chapter. Besides, I wouldn't be able to get the other stories done then.**

 **Up next is Chapter 47.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	47. RWBY on Patrol

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 47: RWBY on Patrol**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

"I'll say it again, Ruby." Yang said. "Nice digs."

Team RWBY were situated in Ruby's apartment in Karakura after a day at ths highschool. It was a very lavish home with green walls and dark wood floors to give a healthy atmosphere, complete with carpets of tan and grass green. The teenagers were hanging around in the family room with Weiss and Yang sitting on the L-shaped couch, with the former drinking from a cup of tea and the latter flipping through channels. Blake was reading a manga from one of the many piles of Ruby's collection while sitting on the floor.

Ever since coming to Japan, Ruby had become immediately engrossed in the literary culture and basically became a japanophile. Blake was just next to join in the obsession, but Ruby hoped she didn't discover and get Japan's more explicit content.

The rest of the Remanties and Senna were staying at the Urahara's where Renji was ordered to stay as a 'moocher'. Ruby had to hold in a chuckle at the mind games Kisuke, Tessai, and the others were laying on him, probably guilt tricking him into working. She did pout at the thought; she had a few ideas to use on him.

* * *

(Urahara's shop)

As Renji was sweeping the front of the shop, his body went still when a cold shiver went down his spine. His sweeping went faster, and he was silently thankful for just sweeping for some reason. The fears in his subconscious imagined him in chains and weighed down by iron balls, and a leash to his neck was held by Ruby Rose with crimson eyes, who was laughing like the devil.

Inside the shop sitting around a table covered in food were Jinta, Ururu, Tessai, Ren, Senna, Nora, and Jaune. The new Remanties had their new asauchi hanging by their waists as the blades slowly melded with their souls.

Nora was still trying to devour as much as she could, and the food's saving grace was Ren promising to make pancakes. Senna and Jaune lost their appetite midway when they witnessed Nora's extreme eating habits. After her fifth bowl, Ren denied her anymore and, much like a parent, sent her to her futon for bed, even debating to use Kido. Jaune were the next to follow yawning as they did and went to their assigned rooms to sleep. Soon, it was just Ren, Tessai, and Kisuke drinking tea and conversing.

"This test that you have planned." Ren said. "I don't think it's necessary, especially for the Remnanties."

"Oh, how so, Ren-san?" Kisuke wondered.

"Team RWBY already know how to work as team." Ren reasoned. "They've been doing that ever since our days in Beacon, so they are ready anyway. Secondly, I don't think Ichigo will need this as well. He had been training with Ruby and I for the past months, and we don't just train in how to fight, Kisuke-san. She has bound to have taught Ichigo some of our ways of teamwork."

"Hmm, you bring up some good points." Kisuke replied. "But a test is still a test, one that I need to use on Ichigo to see his progress. Team RWBY and your new friends will be left out of this since you say they are already up to speed on this. Besides, I think Yoruichi could use some more helping hands."

In a corner of the room, said person was in her cat form eating from a cat dish with a wide smile.

* * *

(Back with Team RWBY)

Ruby left her thoughts go on for a moment, enough to leave her 'sadist' smile on casually. Currently, she was working in the kitchen behind the counter, which gave the Arrancar a view of the family room. She wore a red apron, which was strained by her bust, dusted white from flour that she was using to make a batch of cookies. Ruby will admit that she isn't the best cook, but she took pride in her baking skills. While the dough was in the oven, it gave Ruby time to clean the counter, humming as she did.

"How do you like the tea I brewed, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"It's-" Weiss was about to say until she lost all color in her skin when she saw the sweet, yet sadistic smile on her face. Evil laughter echoed in her mind and the terror of the abyss centered around Ruby. Weiss indeed did like the green tea, but fear made her submit to the Arrancar. "It-It's v-very wonderful."

"Why thank you." Ruby said.

Weiss meanwhile repeated a mantra. _'Third rule of Ruby's training: Don't make Ruby angry.'_

"Have any of you been visited by your zanpakutos yet?" Ruby asked.

"Not a thing." Yang said, the others shaking their heads. "I do hear a voice though but haven't gotten those weird dreams yet."

"You'll get it soon." Ruby encouraged.

The oven dinged as the cookies were done baking. Ruby jumped into action, putting on her oven mitts, and pulling the hot tray out. The Huntresses had to build in drool from the sweet smell that swept through the apartment. Yang went up to the counter to try and sneak one, but was met with a slap from Ruby hard enough to bruise the skin before Aura healed it.

"Oh no you don't." Ruby berated. "Not until each of you get a glass of milk."

Yang grumbled something before going back to flipping through channels. Ruby was thankful that she worldwide cable so she could access channels from all over the world. If not, Yang would've thrown the TV out of the window just because there was no way to understand what people were saying. Shaking her head, Ruby brought out four glasses from the cupboard and poured milk into each of them. She set them on a tray each a plate stacked with at least five cookies. A treat well deserved for Team RWBY in her opinion.

"Alright team, here's our treat." Announced Ruby, walking into the family room and settled the tray on the mahogany table in between the couch and TV.

Yang let out a soft whistle as she looked over Ruby's figure. She was damn well blown off how much her little 'sister' into a gorgeous woman to make heads turn. The blonde doubted if even her looks could match.

"Damn Ruby." Yang complimented, grabbing her plate. "You really pull off the sexy look with the apron. I know Ichigo would be happy if it's _just_ the apron."

"Ara, thank you for the idea." Ruby thanked sweetly, but with a victorious smirk.

Yang certainly wasn't expecting that comeback. She wanted to make Ruby embarrassed, get a laugh in as the bigger sister. She totally forgotten that this Ruby no longer had an innocent mind, and with her newfound Hollow instincts is a lot more forward to say. Now she found herself blushing at the thought of Ichigo coming home only to find Ruby in nothing but an apron with a smile that shouldn't belong there in her opinion.

Yang couldn't decide whether to beat the shit out of Yoruichi or praise her like a goddess for turning Ruby into a tease master beyond the blonde's capabilities. Actually, yes, she was going to beat the shit out of her for turning Ruby into a sadist. She was still having nightmares from the tor - er, training sessions they've started. The Xiao Long decided to shake those thoughts out of her head, contented with just munching on the warm pile of cookies Ruby made.

Ruby had gone through her third cookie until a tap on the window caught her attention. Her silver eyes settled on a familiar black cat that was pointing her paw to the door and giving a wink. The Arrancar smiled at the hidden message given. She walked to and opened the door to pick up Yoruichi and play with the prank.

Once Yoruichi gave out a cry, all attention went to Ruby now petting a black cat that was purring contently in her ministrations. Blake gave a somewhat curious glance to Ruby in the fact that she didn't know that Ruby had a thing for cats as well as dogs and by the Yoruichi's purring knew how to take care of them. Weiss felt something was amiss but was too distracted by the absolutely adorable cat in Ruby's grasp, and Yang had no idea of student and teacher's secret prank and her only concern being why Ruby just picked up a stray cat.

"Ruby," Yang asked, "not that I hate it but why did you bring in a stray cat?"

"Don't worry, Yang." Ruby assured, sitting down closer to her friends and letting Yoruichi rest in her lap, "She's not a total stranger. This little cutey has been visiting me ever since I moved here. Originally, she would come here so I could give her some milk, but as time went by she comes to visit as a friend. Haven't figured a name for her yet."

"... Can I pet her?" Blake asked meekly. Black cats were her favorite breed and she once had one back in Menagerie.

Ruby had to keep herself from making a devious smirk. "Of course you can."

Ruby handed Yoruichi to Blake who took it a bit too quickly. The cat Faunus was lost in her own world as she scratched behind Yoruichi's ears, getting musical purrs from the transformed Flash Goddess. Blake knew where to scratch the best, a perk of being part cat herself. Yoruichi turned over on her back and allowed Blake to scratch her belly.

"She is very well behaved for a stray." Weiss noted. "Maybe she had owners before."

"I tried looking for her, but nothing came up." Ruby lied. "I guess it's because people around here are naturally nice to cats and respect their independence."

"Well, she's very healthy to be as beautiful as she is." Blake complimented.

"Why thank you."

Suddenly, the heads of Yang, Weiss, and Blake whipped around the room to try and find the source of the deep voice. After a while finding nothing, their eyes slowly trailed to Yoruichi, her golden eyes gazing at them expectantly.

"Hello there." Yoruichi greeted, waving a paw.

...

...

...

"EEEEEHHHH!?" The scream was powerful enough to literally shake Ruby's apartment. Blake, in her shock, accidentally tossed Yoruichi into the air but the cat landed nimbly back into Ruby's hands. Yang looked catatonic and Weiss was pointing a shaky finger to the black cat.

"Th-Th-Th-Th-" Stuttered Weiss. "THAT CAT JUST FREAKING TALKED!"

Ruby couldn't hold in any longer and fell on her back in laughter, with Yoruichi following not too far behind as much as a cat could in Ruby's hold. She laughed to the point the Arrancar was clutching her stomach and kicking her legs in the air. The shocked looks on her friends turned into daggers locked on Ruby who paid no mind at all.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS!?" Yang accused Ruby in outrage.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha, of course I did." Ruby laughed. "Freaking worth it. Ha-ha-ha, just look at your faces."

The three's response were to narrow their eyes and imagined Ruby was on fire at this point. Yoruichi recovered from her laughing fit and slyly approached back to Blake. In alarm, WBY took steps back from the talking cat. They knew enough that anything strange in this world was not to be underestimated.

"Do not be afraid." Yoruichi said, jumping in front of Blake and at the same time cornering the Faunus. "Didn't you say I was beautiful?"

"Wha..." Blake could only choke out but the rest of it came out as a high-pitched squeak.

"Well, I'm flattered but..." Yoruichi trailed off as the cat's body was enveloped in smoke. Through it, they could see the form of the cat shift and change into a taller figure with curves and a bipedal body. Their brains shut off when the smoke cleared up to reveal not just a woman instead of a cat, but a very beautiful and nude one at that with a cheshire grin. "What do you-"

Yoruichi was cut off as a set of clothes with her orange jacket hit her with enough force to send her to the kitchen, courtesy of Ruby. Fortunately, WBY's brains rebooted back and without the presence of a naked Yoruichi their mentality was saved. It did not however delete the memory that the cat was in fact a human transformed and they glared to the kitchen where Yoruichi stood up fully garbed.

"What was that for, Pup-chan?" Yoruichi whined. "How and where did you actually have a set?"

"Yo-yo protocol." Ruby deadpanned.

Yoruichi pouted. "Mau, why won't you let me have my fun, Pup-chan?"

"Because I can and I will, stripper." Ruby retorted.

"Wait," Yang spoke, pointing to Yoruichi, "you mean she-"

"Likes to flash people for the hell of it, yes." Ruby answered automatically, making her friends take a few steps away from Yoruichi.

"Oi, I'm not contagious." Yoruichi said. "I just like showing my body."

"Do you have no shame?" Weiss scoffed.

"Nope!" Yoruichi perked up, her response leaving Weiss too stunned for words.

"Now that that's over, what are you doing here, Yoruichi-sensei?" Ruby asked, a tone a little more serious and it put the rest of Team RWBY into action.

Yoruichi smiled. "I want to have you four to go on patrol with me. It's as simple as that."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "What about Ichi-kun?"

"Don't worry about your walking hot stuff." Yoruichi assured. "He'll be busy with... other stuff."

* * *

(Meanwhile)

"Renji, what are you doing in my room?" Ichigo demanded when he was suddenly woken up by said redhead lieutenant.

"Don't you sense that?" Renji said. "There's an unknown spiritual pressure at Orihime's house."

Ichigo's snapped wide open in attention. "You should've just said that to begin with."

With a surge of spiritual pressure, Ichigo ejected himself out his gigai, but didn't have the need to turn into a soul candy to carry it with him. His dual zanpakutos were as they were at his hip and in their sealed forms. He nodded to himself and the hybrid turned to Renji, but paused at the gaping look the redhead was giving.

"Something wrong, Renji?" Asked Ichigo.

"Just," Renji said, pointing his zanpakuto somewhere behind Ichigo, "HOW THE **** DO YOU HAVE A TAIL!?"

Ichigo looked behind them and there was his ten foot tail coiling behind him. He didn't understand why Renji was making such a big deal... oh yeah, he never came to Remnant. Silence reigned in the room as Ichigo tried to say something to calm the lieutenant down.

 _ **'Well, this is awkward.'**_ Zangetsu Y commented.

* * *

(Back with RWBY)

Team RWBY had put their gigai to bed and joined Yoruichi's patrol across Karakura Town. It may have seemed standard, but Ruby could tell that something was off with Yoruichi. She has gone on other patrols with her sensei to kill just the regular Hollow. However, Ruby could tell that their patrol path was far less general and linked to a specific area. Yoruichi was leading the charge so Ruby could not see the serious expression on the Flash Goddess as her eyes darted over the blurring ground.

WBY were slightly struggling to keep up with Ruby and Yoruichi since the pair would occasionally use shunpo to bridge gaps between buildings. If it wasn't for their training as Huntresses they would've lost in the dust.

"Yoruich-sensei, what are we looking for?" Ruby asked.

"You catch up quick." Yoruichi said. "Over the days that you were missing, there have been reports of people going missing without a trace. The obvious would be Hollows being a bit too hungry, but the strange thing is there wasn't any Hollow reiatsu that would indicate such an attack. I have no idea what's going on and I'm in the dark. That's why I brought you and your team out here with me. You specialize in hunting as well as attacking these Grimm, so maybe I thought you could notice something that I wouldn't."

Ruby smiled. "Well, you've got the right people. Team RWBY won't disappoint."

"I found something!" Called Blake as the the trio went into an alley.

"Told ya." Ruby perked up.

With a burst of shunpo, Yoruichi and Ruby arrived to where the rest of Team RWBY stood. They were looking to a set of clothes on the ground, yet no person in sight. One would think they got here due to the wind catching them from the clothesline if it weren't for the ash present and the way the clothes were set that a person was here. Ruby, with her new Hollow heritage, could smell the reiatsu that used to be a person but nothing that could indicate of what exactly happened here.

"Does anyone have an idea about this," Yang said, "unless there's a nudist cult in town and they just go a new member."

"I would actually laugh if the situation wasn't so serious." Weiss said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Weiss is right." Ruby said, leaning down to cup some of the ashes. "These ashes are very recent and there hasn't been a fire going around to produce this much. Plus, if there was a fire then the clothe should have received some burns but nothing is there to note. There aren't any footprints of a Hollow that are left behind nor any of their reiatsu."

"Are you saying it was a person that did this?" Yang asked a bit stunned.

"Probably." Ruby guessed with Blake nodding in agreement. "Blake, can you get on the rooftop and see if anyone's around."

Blake nodded and was about to scale a house when her eyes caught the movement of a foot moving out of a corner. Instincts and experience demanded she sprint to the stranger, and like a bullet she did. She ignored the exclaims of her teammates as she made a sharp turn on the corner via anchoring her zanpakuto blade. There in her line of sight was a woman with long brown hair and thin eyes. The woman looked back at her and, to Blake's suspicions, her eyes widened in shock. That meant that this woman could see her and was probably responsible.

"Stop!" Blake cried out, drawing out the pistol of Gambol Shroud.

The woman tried to make her retreat, and in response Blake fired her pistol aimed ahead of the woman to stall her. She did not expect the suspect to summon a pile of lava that melted the bullets on contact. At that moment, Yoruichi and the rest of RWBY arrived to the scene with weapons drawn. The woman noticed the growing situation and her eyes locked on a possible way of escape. The lava, taking a form of hulking humanoid, threw itself over a nearby fire hydrant. Water that erupted created a thick cloud of steam on contact with the lava monster. The click of running footsteps indicated that the woman was already running away.

Ruby scowled in irritation. In instinct to eliminate the problem, her hand pointed to the fire hydrant and fired a wordless, red **Bala.** The bullet of reiatsu crumbled the rest of they hydrant and suppressed the leaking water. Soon the steam disappeared, but the woman was far gone, not even a reiatsu signal to trace.

"Damn." Ruby cursed.

"So, I'm guessing that's not normal around here?" Yang inquired.

"Unfortunately, it isn't." Ruby sighed. "Great, now we have a possible serial killer on the loose that can see us."

"Did you notice something off about her?" Yoruichi asked Ruby.

Ruby nodded. "Her reiatsu. I couldn't even feel it. Perhaps she can suppress, but then it would have to be pretty impressive to get passed your sensory skills."

"Maybe." Yoruichi muttered. "In any case, our runaway killer isn't going to try anything tonight since it knows we're around. You four go back to your gigai. I'll keep watch on the town."

"Hai, sensei." Ruby replied. "Let's go home, guys."

With an exchange of nods between them, RWBY headed back to their home at a quickened pace. None of them would expect the coming events that be a danger to both the Soul Society and Karakura Town.

* * *

 **A nice regular sized chapter. Why? Because it leaves more room to work on the other ones that people are excited about as well. I'll probably skip some of the events of Ichigo's test and focus more on Yoruichi and RWBY investigating this new threat. Yang, Weiss, and Blake will need more than Aura to combat these new foes.**

 **I've been thinking of making another RWBY crossover story. The choices go as such.**

 **-Fate/stay night; Title: The Rose of Babylon. Rated T (Ruby with Gate of Babylon, which is basically her wet dream.)**

 **-Warhammer; Title: The Witch Princess of Chaos. (Evil, Dark Elf Ruby) Rated M (Because it's the Dark Elves.)**

 **-Highschool DxD; Title: Rose Dragon Empress. Rated M (Because we all know why.)**

 **What can I say? I really like Ruby. She is just so moldable you can practically turn her into everything, it's so easy and fun to do. Especially if you make her a sadist or a villain. Check out my profile for more details.**

 **Up next is Chapter 48.**


	48. Whispers of the Zanpakuto

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 48: Whispers of the Zanpakuto**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Weiss' Mindscape)

Weiss did not know a lot about the science behind dreams, but she was pretty sure that _this_ isn't supposed to happen. She had returned to Ruby's apartment and entered her gigai to rest her mind properly. In just a minute, Weiss was in a deep sleep only to suddenly jolt up like she was hit with a shot of adrenaline. Instead of the comfort of a futon with her pajamas, Weiss found herself standing... _somewhere_... and wearing her battle skirt.

Weiss didn't what it was but she could only name it as a garden and crystal paradise. She stood in an open area of grass but not too far from her was lush tropical trees and plants. In the distance were grand mountains with a few enormous trees just as large, dwarfing even Beacon tower. She could see waterfalls crashing down the mountains, feeding the rivers that were running alongside the field. Over the mountains were thunderclouds that constantly flashed lightning with a few bolts striking down.

Somehow enhancing this natural beauty were the crystals that dotted the ground and even grew on the bark of trees. They came in colors of blue, red, yellow, white, and a black. Some ranged from clumps that fit in her hand to giant formations that she could see on the barks of the mountain trees. Each one had a different feel to them at a glance. Red felt like the furnace of a forge; black, a feeling of a pressure; yellow, the static of electricity; white, the tickle of the wind; and blue, a cold more bitter than Atlas. Despite the bizarre appearance of the crystals, it all felt so natural here, and realizing that just made it all the more beautiful.

Weiss felt the wind behind her suddenly grow in strength to a powerful gust that she had to cover her eyes when she looked behind. A shadow loomed over the whole field from the light of the sun. The wind was roaring in her ears at this point, but she could hear the sounds of wings flapping of a giant creature. At that realization, her body went stiff in fright. If this was a monster, she was without a weapon to defend herself. There was a crash as something landed right in front of her, and Weiss stumbled for a moment from the ground shaking.

Despite how defenseless she was, Weiss steeled her nerves and uncovered her eyes to what lying before her. She was prepared for any sort of challenge that would face her, but never did Weiss imagine this. The absolute pinnacle that could only be described as divine majesty given physical form rolling off waves of raw power.

For what could represent the meaning of power more than a dragon? Not a Grimm dragon like the one from Beacon, but an actual life form that stood at the top of legends and nature. Yet, if Weiss would ever encounter another dragon she doubted any would match the one standing right in front of her. It towered over her for over ten meters and was as long as thirty meters. Its massive body was covered in thick black scales as dark as night with just a lighter tone on the underbelly. Great black wings folded on its back and Weiss had no doubt their full wingspan would cover the field itself. Along the back and tail was a spiny fin holding a subtle dark glow to it. The head was shaped like a crocodile, and red eyes held a primal dominance that took all of Weiss' willpower to not shake under it. But the most eye catching of all with this apex being was its crest-horns mostly ebony black and adorned with gems of yellow, white, red, and blue. A dark gem surrounded by crimson smaller ones was adorned just between its eyes.

For what felt like hours, Weiss stood in place ready to leap into action. The dragon made no move, merely locking its gaze upon Weiss as assessing her worth. More minutes passed as the two stared at each other until the dragon lurched his head up, and the tense atmosphere was gone. The surprises did not stop there for Weiss when the dragon started to speak, his voice deep and dark like the growl of the earth.

 **"You show no fear."** The dragon spoke. **"That is good. I expect nothing less from my partner."**

Weiss' eyes widened. "Does that mean you are my zanpakuto?"

 **"Indeed."** The dragon nodded his head. **"Hmm, you have quite the will of strength you have. To run from your pathetic excuse of a father and brother, make peace with your hate, and yearn to make a name for yourself. I doubt even the strongest of winters would be able to stop you. I am impressed."**

"How do you know all about that?" Weiss asked.

 **"It is simple."** Explained the dragon, leaning his head so they were at eye level. **"I _am_ you. Every zanpakuto is a reflection of the wielder's soul, predestined as they await their partner. I know more than you could yourself. Only in rare circumstances do zanpakuto choose a different wielder than the original."**

"If you're my zanpakuto," Weiss said, bringing all of her bravery into her tone, "then what is your name?"

Weiss wanted to shiver so badly when the dragon smiled in response. If by smiling meant revealing rows of teeth all ready to shred through flesh like paper. The dragon gave a brief chuckle as though her sudden question amused him.

 **"As you command, Weiss Schnee."** The dragon replied. **"My name is A...a..on."**

Weiss was confused by the name. She could only hear bits and pieces of the letters, but the rest was just an incoherent whisper. The dragon also took note of this as he raised a scaly brown.

 **"Hmm, how curious."** The dragon mused. **"You must be nearly there if you can hear that much of my name, but you are not ready as of yet. It has been amusing meeting you, Weiss Schnee. Until we meet again."**

"W-Wait!" Shouted Weiss, running towards the dragon as it suddenly went up into the air. "I still need to-"

But Weiss could not finish her sentence before the beautiful paradise that is her mindscape blinked out as she retreated from her subconscious.

* * *

(Blake's Mindscape)

Blake had gone to bed faster than a kitten after a meal of warm milk. Just as suddenly, adrenaline rushed through her body and she had no choice but to bolt upright. Instead of waking up in Ruby's apartment in her pajamas, Blake found herself in an entirely different world, specifically in some sort of massive palace if the huge walls and pillars with silver carvings were anything to go by. The cat Faunus looked over a railing only to find out she was on a balcony way looking over an endless expanse of clouds with mountains in the distance.

 _'A palace on a mountain so high?'_ Blake wondered incredulously.

Then there was the very material that made up the palace itself. Everything was made of the smoothest of ebony, glass-like marble and darker than any moonless night. Speaking of, the sky above Blake showed a moon, not like the shattered moon of Remnant or the full moon of Earth. This moon was much closer to the world to the point it encompassed a quarter of the sky, and it shined down a dim amber light. Not only that but the stars that dotted the sky were a beautiful mix of pale white, shining gold, and blue diamond.

Shaking her head, Blake decided to explore more of this palace. Ruby did bea- er, teach RWBY on the concept of mindscapes and how each is unique to the person. If this was indeed her mind made physical form, there was no harm in exploring it herself. It isn't like her own mind would kill itself.

As Blake walked the ebony palace on top the mountain, she was in complete awe at the beauty of it. There was no bump nor chip in any of the architecture. Nor was there a stain to dirty the black beauty of the marble. Only the brightest of light could hope to make a reflection off the black surface, otherwise the light seemed to be absorbed into ebony marble.

The more the cat Faunus walked, the more she was confused on the time frame of this dimension. Where she now stood was at the start of a flight of stairs leading two seven meter tall doors. What made Blake confused was that the palace, that she knew she appeared on the other side of, but what should have felt like an hour of walking felt like minutes. Perhaps it was something to do being this was technically her mind, and all of it that made this world was hers, including the laws of reality.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Blake ascended up the steps to her supposed destination. She took her time to yet again admire the beauty of the palace from what she could see. The roofs were similar to those in Menegarie, or the Edo period buildings of Earth. The tiles were of course ebony with the edges colored a golden amber. Blake pulled her eyes away from the scenery once she reached the doors. Taking a breath, she pushed her hands onto the iron doors with all her strength to move them.

Blake widened her eyes when the doors pushed inward with little to no resistance. Due to using too much force in her push, Blake lost her balance and tripped to the ground. That was how she discovered she did not have her Aura in her mindscape and ended with a sore nose. It was just something minor, but the fact she made such a mistake made her thankful no one was here to see it.

The giggling from the other side of the room said otherwise. Blake's cat ears stood up straight in alarm of someone else here with her. Her amber eyes locked onto the other side of the hall, which was lined with black pillars holding torches ignited in white flames. At the very end was a throne where sat a woman. A very, very beautiful woman that was so out of this world that Blake knew only her imagination could create it.

The woman wore a black kimono with red underneath wrapped by a golden obi with a set of golden beads. To Blake's embarrassment, the kimono was open at the shoulders giving the cat Faunus a view of the woman's assets that made her ears twitch in slight jealousy. Her face was nicely heart-shaped with pink lips curled in a seductive smile. It startled Blake that the woman shared the same black hair, amber eyes, and a pair of cat ears. She would be considered Blake's older sister (in more ways than one) if it weren't for the two cat tails.

"Took you long enough, nya~." The Faunus(?) chirped happily. "It is so nice to meet you, Blakey, nya~."

"Am I supposed to know you?" Blake wondered. Why would her mindscape come up with someone like this? And why was she doing that vocal tick that Blake made a habit of when she was a kid?

"Silly Blakey, nya~." The woman said, jumping from the throne and twirling through the air till she stopped right in front of Blake. "It's simple. I'm you, nya~."

Blake's automatically denied that. How would this woman be her? They were both complete opposites. Where Blake was closed off, this woman was far too forward that she was making the Faunus blush. In contrast, it would also explain why the woman bore a very strong resemblance to Blake herself. But why did she have to be like this?

The woman pouted as though hearing Blake's thoughts. "Wah, don't be so mean, nya~. I'm just your true you. The part of you that you keep repressed and away from everyone. The part of you that's free, nya~."

"I-I..." Blake stumbled on her words, unable to even look at the other Faunus directly. "Do you have any decency?"

The woman frowned. "Says you, nya~. You read those nice, juicy books in public, nya~."

It hit Blake so much that she almost fell over. "My gods, you're my perverted side, aren't you?"

"Bingo, nya~." Cheered the woman, throwing her arms into the air that made her assets bounce. "I'm all the dirty thoughts and repressed instincts given form, nya~. But don't think I hate you, nya~. After all, that smut gave birth to me."

 _'Maybe this is a sign I've read too much porn.'_ Blake admitted mentally.

"Mau, I'm not that bad, nya~." The woman whined with a pout. "I just know how to have fun, nya~."

As Blake was trying to wrap around the enigma that was her reflected self, she remembered Ruby telling her about the zanpakuto. If this was her mindscape, then the only other living thing besides herself would be her own sword spirit. This cat woman was the only one here, and as much as Blake wanted to deny it, this was definitely her zanpakuto spirit. That revelation did not paint a good picture of herself to Blake if her zanpakuto was like this.

"You're my zanpakuto, aren't you?" Blake stated.

"You got that right, Blakey." The woman chirped. "As your blade and partner, it's my duty to help you as much to my entire being. My name is **Kur..."**

Blake only heard the first syllable, but the rest of the name became incoherent whispers. The two-tailed cat Faunus frowned slightly, sensing that her partner did not hear her name. In the next second, her mood did a complete 180 and her smile came back to full swing.

"It's okay if you can't hear my full name yet, nya~." The woman consoled. "It happens to everyone, so don't be too down."

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." Blake muttered.

Her eyes drifted down to her zanpakuto's chest and immediately a pang of jealousy struck her heart. She herself was beautiful, but the zanpakuto was just too much. Blake mentally cursed her mind for creating a fictional manifestation that looked like her and was more endowed. Unfortunately, the zanpakuto cat lady immediately caught on to Blake's jealous stare and her smirk turned into a cheshire grin.

"Jealous are we, nya~?" Teased the zanpakuto. "Don't get too upset, nya~. After all, I am you. Who knows? Maybe connecting to me as your zanpakuto will get you a nice pair of kittens as well, nya~?"

For a moment, Blake was actually considering the possibility, especially her more hidden perverted thoughts coming into the mix. Her eyes were a bit glazed over until she shook her head to rid the lecherous thoughts. If any of her friends knew about this, Blake would never be the same. She settled herself giving a half-annoyed glare to the zanpakuto, but the cat lady only widened her grin.

"I knew I could get to you, Blakey." The zanpakuto giggled, jumping back onto her throne. "It's been nice meeting ya, Blakey, but it's time for the kitty to wake up. Make sure you come back, nya~."

Suddenly, Blake found herself pulled off her feet as though gravity was turned sideways behind her. The last she saw was her zanpakuto waving at her before Blake zipped into the distance from the palace itself. Then everything went dark.

* * *

(Yang's Mindscape)

When Yang Xiao Long was supposed to wake up, it was not find herself in the middle of some sort of castle, palace, or whatever massive place she was in. The whole place had a very strong vibe of might to it. The ceilings were over five stories high in Roman-style architecture, and she was just in a single room. That room having enough size to support almost hundred people at once filled with purple couches and other luxury furniture that Weiss would be jealous of. Enormous archways on her left led to a balcony where in the sky was a blazing golden sun. Off to the side was a statue of a golden lion with white diamonds for eyes spitting out water over a fountain.

 _'My head is loaded.'_ Yang thought at the realization this was her dream into her mindscape Ruby predicted.

Yang decided to enjoy as much of this as possible and plopped herself on one of the couches. She can safely say that it was the softest couch Yang has ever used. Yes, indeed her mind definitely knew what she liked.

 _'Only thing to make this better would be a TV.'_ Yang mused.

"Get up!" Commanded a very deep voice from above her.

"Wha-" Yang got out before the couch she was sitting on was lifted up and she was unceremoniously shaken off onto the lilac carpet. "What was... that... for...you..."

Yang could only trail off as her brain was shutting off at the man that had to be sculpted from the gods stood before her. He stood at a towering 6'6" with a tan complexion over his skin. White spiky hair that went down his neck looked like mane of snow, and the irises of his eyes were a blood red with a black pupil. The man was entirely shirtless, showing off rippling muscle lined with black markings that made Yang drool a waterfall as she shamelessly ogled the man. He only wore black hakama trousers with red flame patterns and a gold sash at his waste. The most inhumane aspect about the man was that his forearms were made of some sort of chromium-like metal that bended and moved like skin.

"Eyes up." Said the man sternly.

"My mind is amazing for giving me such eye candy." Yang muttered, completely ignoring the man.

A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned down to Yang's level, which also gave a better view of the muscles of his front. She did not even perceive the man's hand closing on her forehead with a finger held back by his thumb. With a finger flick, Yang felt like a truck smashed onto her skull and was sent flying to the other side of the wall. Her perverted antics were snapped away and her battle rage blazed to life as Yang's eyes bled red.

"What the hell?!" Yang shouted, crossing the distance between them by launching off.

She threw a punch in revenge, but the man nonchalantly swerved his head away. As Yang passed unable to stop herself, his left arm snapped up to grab the blonde's right ankle. He held Yang up as easily as a piece of string while the blonde brawler was left upside down.

"Let go of me and let me punch you!" Yang exclaimed, only managing to flay her arms around.

"Too blind in your rage." The man scolded, dropping Yang on a sofa like a potato sack. "You need more discipline, more direction. There is power there, but all you do with it is lose it all in an explosion instead of aiming it like the tip of a spear. I thought your father had already taught you this."

Yang's eyes widened at the mention of Taiyang. "How do you know about my dad?"

"Take a guess." The man said. "You fell asleep and now you find yourself in your mindscape when you never could before. So what does that make me, Xiao Long?"

"... My zanpakuto spirit." Yang answered after a long silence. "I'm sorry, it's just... wow. I never expected, ya know, a 'me' to be a god of hunks."

The man could only sigh. "Guess there's nobody better to teach you than yourself, I suppose."

"Can I get the name of the handsome giant?" Yang asked sweetly.

The man's eye twitched before he answered. "If you must know, my name is **Ash..."**

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Yang asked, cupping her ear due to the fact she only heard the first syllable.

The man responded with furrowed brows and roughly tapped on Yang's forehead. "Maybe if you had your head out of the gutter half the time, you would hear the full name."

"Hey, it's not my fault." Yang complained, only to receive a more intensified glare from her zanpakuto. "... Okay maybe you have a point."

"We'll talk later, Yang Xiao Long." The man said, walking away from the room. "But tell me this, what do you fight for?"

"For my friends and family obviously." Yang answered without hesitation.

For the first time, the man smiled. "Then whatever happens to you, no matter what hardship you face, never forget those who are important to you. They will be the greatest strength you will ever have."

"Uh, thanks, I guess?" Yang replied confusingly.

Suddenly, her ears were assaulted by a loud noise of a horn coming from the outside. Her mindscape crumbled apart, leaving only darkness as Yang received consciousness.

* * *

(In the Real World)

It was a quiet early morning in Karakura, where the sun had just rose up from the west. Unfortunately, that silence was broken when WBY all exited from their mindscapes simultaneously at the loud sound of an air horn going off. WBY simultaneously woke up with a jump so high they hit the ceiling and fell to the floor with a thud. Adrenaline from the loud awakening cleared their heads from any potential headache, and they thus tried to find the perpetrator.

"Rise and shine, RWBY!" Called the ever familiar voice of the Arrancar hybrid Ruby Rose standing in the center of the room with the air horn.

"What the ****, Ruby?!" Yang swore. "I was dreaming of the most awesome hunk ever."

"Oh, no can do, Yang." Ruby said a little too sweetly. "You see, I had to wake you up all to tell you that we don't have to go to school for the next two days-"

"Okay, that's a relief." Yang said.

"-so instead we are all going to have some 'fun' training until then." Ruby concluded. "Ren, Jaune, and Nora will also be joining us as well."

All three of the freshly awakened girls paled at the implication. Ruby's training sessions were no fun at all. No, they would rather be subject to Prof. Port's 'lectures' than her style of torture. They knew no longer of the innocent Ruby Rose that got in Beacon two years early. Standing right there like a predator was pure evil, the abyss itself staring back at them with sweet smile.

"W-We're good, Rubes." Yang stuttered.

"Y-Yeah, we don't have to train, right?" Weiss said, trying to stop herself from shaking.

"No." Blake simply said, too afraid to say more.

"Ara ara, that's too bad." Ruby replied sweetly, her smile growing. "They are orders from Kisuke and Yoruichi-sensei. So there's no getting out of it."

"Look maybe we can talk this over breakfast." Yang said while backing up.

"If you want to have breakfast," Ruby said, her smile going full sadist, "you're going to have to earn~ it~. After all, nothing works best when you're in a life-and-death situation."

She emphasized her point by pulling out a whip. Yes, a full on black whip that she snapped in the air to its full length of at least fifteen feet. Alarms went off in WBY's heads, and their very instincts demanded them to run.

"Ara, you look kind of pale there." Ruby noted, slowly approaching them. "Let's try put some color back into them."

And run they did, bolting out of the room as literally their lives depended upon it. Yet Ruby proved to always cut off any manner of escape that led outside, and they would always receive a sharp strike of the whip that somehow went passed their Aura when they tried jumping out of the windows. So for the whole morning, the home of RWBY was filled with cries of pain from WBY, the sadistic laughter of Ruby Rose, and the snap of her whip.

* * *

(In Ruby's Mindscape)

Cristina could only sigh as she watched her spiritual sister torture her friends with a blush growing on the Arrancar's cheeks from actually getting off from it.

 **"I called it."** Cristina said to herself. **"The Rose family is full of sadists."**

* * *

 **Thus ends this chapter and then moving onto the next. Pretty soon, I won't be uploading as much as I would like to due to the fact I will be in college and most of my time will be spent up. As such, I'm trying to get as many juicy chapters for all stories before then. After that, I just need you all to bear with me because I will not die, virtually of course.**

 **Also, check out the newest story, Rose Dragon Empress, a RWBY/Highschool DxD crossover, that already has five chapters out with the sixth coming soon. Another new story to follow as well will be the The Witch Princess of Chaos, a RWBY/Warhammer crossover, as well as the Rose of Babylon far later.**

 **I know some of you have asked this, so you have my full permission to make a reactionary story out of this.**

 **Up next is Chapter 49.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	49. Whole

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 49: Whole**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Ichigo is going to kill Kisuke. He is going that freaking bastard for dragging him and his friends into this mess. The perfect hybrid a strong suspicion that Kisuke was testing him and his friends ever since the time where the whole school population disappeared, done by three beings consisting of a blonde girl named Ririn, a bespectacled man named Kurodo, and a masked individual by the name of Noba. Ichigo could not call them humans or shinigami because there was something artificial about their spiritual pressures that Kon's. This is the result of his spiritual pressure in better harmony than before, and the fact as bizarre as Kisuke is he was a good man at heart and would not let a whole school disappear.

Also since the incident at the school, Senna had joined the crew in stopping the Mod Souls as Ichigo guessed. Though he was a bit put off that none of the Remnanties, especially Ruby, were not here. The Mod Souls had made it a game of sorts to guess who among them was an imposter, and they were in the the threat of the school being 'killed'. It was a tough investigation on his and even Uryu's part. Thankfully, Ichigo was able to pick up some slack due to Ruby training with him like a Huntsman. If he was the same person months ago, he would be totally lost.

Eventually, the crew found out it was Chad who was the imposter among them, revealing the faker to Kuroda who shape-shifted into him. The three Mod Souls unfortunately escaped after informing the crew of Chad's location. Ichigo was tempted to capture them, but he would rather not cause as much damage as his power right now will do, and the fact that this was a test from Kisuke. He will rather see what Hat n' Clogs has planned.

So now he found himself in the streets of Karakura under the night sky with Uryu, Renji, Senna, and Orhime being sucked into the portal. Ichigo would have destroyed it, but logic dictates that Chad was on the other side. Test or not, if Ichigo had destroyed the portal there would be no way to save his best friend. Ichigo did not bother to release himself from his physical body as he was perfectly capable of summoning his dual zanpakuto in the real world. Totally not because of the jealous glare Renji was giving him.

Through the portal, Ichigo, Renji, Senna, Uryu, and Orihime found themselves in a wasteland similar to the one in Soul Society where Ichigo trained with tall cliffs. On the highest peak, Ichigo saw Chad tied to a post within a giant hourglass filling with sand. Senna switched to her spiritual form and unsealing her wind type zanpakuto and going for Ririn. Ichigo decided to take on Kurodo who took on a mirror image of himself, and that left Noba to Renji.

With Ichigo, his only trouble with the copy of himself was that it almost perfectly matched his fighting style and summoned a copy of Ichigo's Zangetsu Y khyber blade. Emphasis on almost since no matter how perfect Kurodo may imitate Ichigo, he can't copy the enormous power and strength that Ichigo held. That same strength that Ichigo had to hold back lest he want to accidentally do more damage than necessary. In the whole time, Uryu and Orihime watched from the sidelines, the former not used to combat and the latter powerless to do so.

"Looks like this little blonde needs a spanking!" Senna shouted as she conjured multiple tornadoes around her to intersect Ririn.

Ririn's eyes widened at the strength of the winds picking up her lithe form. Senna, unperturbed by the pull of her own winds, dashed through and landed a knee to Ririn's gut. She followed up with a smack to the head with her golden staff concluding with point-blank blast of wind. Using a wordless Hado spell, Senna channeled lightning through the winds of her zanpakuto, adding electric damage to the Mod Soul.

"Owie!" Whined Ririn, now sporting several tears in her clothes.

"You are a tough cookie, aren't you?" Senna said with a frown. "Looks like I am going to up the punishment on this particular brat."

Ririn on the outside was still keeping her usual smug-like expression with that smile. On the inside however, Ririn was holding a cold shiver running up and down her spine in fear of what Senna was planning. At least the Mod Soul can take comfort in the fact that the one known as Ruby is the sadist among them, and she's not here.

Clangs of steel against steel rang through the wasteland as Ichigo dueled with his doppelganger that Kurodo transformed into. Ichigo was annoyed that the Mod Soul was copying his every move, but the hybrid still held the advantage in better strength and the fact that his spiritual pressure is entirely unique. Which meant that his spiritual techniques were not copied. But Ichigo could not use a **Getsuga Tensho** with the level that he was currently at unless he wanted everything destroyed. That still left him with more fun options.

In another brief clash, Kurodo made a heavy swing to Ichigo's right flank. In response, Ichigo pretended to block it and 'accidentally' lose his grip on his zanpakuto. Kurodo smirked going in for the opening that presented itself. At the last second, Ichigo smirked before summoning the black khyber blade of Zangetsu X. The Mod Soul reacted in time, but not enough to prevent a shallow upward cut that put a shallow wound from hip to shoulder. Ichigo let himself go a little and channeled the instincts of his Hollow side, which meant no mercy or rest for his opponent.

As soon as Kurodo backed away, the doppelganger's face paled seeing the blade of Zangetsu Y coming at his like an over-sized dart. He quickly put up a defense to save himself from being impaled by the massive blade. That turned into a feint as Ichigo pulled Zangetsu Y back via the bandage and used shunpo to close in on Kurodo. The Mod Soul felt as though a hammer smashed into his right cheek from Ichigo's fist followed by a side kick that sent Kurodo into a wall.

"Nice moves." Ichigo complimented. "But you can fight like me, but you can't exactly be me. Your copying ability has to be limited to your own parameters, and unfortunately for you I am beyond your limits."

A word did not escape from Kurodo's mouth when Ichigo's foot planted forcefully on the Mod Soul's face and effectively knocking the man out. Kurodo's form changed back to the bespectacled man with blonde hair and the top hat as soon as he was unconscious. Ichigo turned to look at Renji in his fight with the portal-user Noba. The hybrid snickered when he saw Renji hit himself with the end of Zabimaru via Noba redirected the whip-like blade with a portal.

"I think you're supposed to hit the guy, not yourself." Ichigo called out amusingly.

"Ah, shut up!" Renji growled.

"KYA!"

The scream was from none other than Ririn crashing just several meters away from Ichigo. He quirked an eyebrow seeing the child-like Mod Soul rubbing her bottom. What was even more bizarre was the fact despite the skirt she was wearing, there was a crimson glow barely escaping the confines of the cloth. Senna soon showed up, calmly floating down with the winds at her feet.

"Now behave brat or there will another spanking." Senna warned, emphasizing her point with her staff zanapakuto.

"Yes ma'am." Cried Ririn with anime tears going down her face.

"See, even Senna over here is doing a better job than you." Ichigo mocked Renji. "Maybe I can tell Byakuya of your 'wonderful' performance and he can get Senna to be the new lieutenant."

Renji's only response was to glare at the smug orange-head while frothing at the mouth. That unfortunately left him open to Noba taking the opportunity to teleport a boulder over Renji's head. As soon as Renji realized the impending doom, he let out a very unmanly scream in fright. Zabimaru came to his call and split the boulder into pieces. The debris was used as cover for Noba to land an elbow to Renji's back.

"Oof." Senna said. "Poor, poor thing."

"Yeah, he's not the smartest in the apple tree." Ichigo quipped.

Renji snapped. "Oh screw you, tailed bastard."

"Hey in the short time I've had it, I've grown to like it." Ichigo retorted. "You know what? Forget this. I am going to go free Chad from that hourglass."

In a shunpo, Ichigo reached the peak where the hourglass prison stood, and with a tap of Zangetsu X the glass disintegrated into reishi particles being absorbed into the black blade. Another effect of his awakened Quincy heritage molded into a zanpakuto was the ability to turn matter into reishi that Ichigo can absorb to refuel his own reserves. It was more passive as an ability, but Ichigo was still having trouble how to harness more of his mother's side such as unleashing arrows. Zangetsu Y on the other hand came naturally to him as it was purely based on instinctual combat rather than technique and discipline. With the glass gone, the sand dispersed and Chad feel to the ground on his knees. Ichigo went down on his friend's level, examining him for any injuries.

"You okay, Chad?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah." Chad simply said. As always as a man of few words.

"Do you need help with those ropes?" Ichigo said.

Chad shook his head. "I don't think so."

With just a few shrugs of his shoulders, the ropes simply slipped off of Chad's wrists and arms. Ichigo narrowed his eyes with his suspicions now confirmed. Stretching out his senses that were still very meager, Ichigo felt another presence besides his friends and the Mod Souls hiding among them.

"You can come out now." Ichigo called out. "You had your fun, Kisuke."

The click of wooden sandals behind the wooden post followed the appearance of Kisuke Urahara with his signature bucket hat. An amused yet curious smirk was on his face as he looked at Ichigo. The remaining conscious Mod Souls ceased their attacks, and the rest of Ichigo's allies came up to the peak with confusing stares aimed at the former shinigami captain.

"Ren was right. Ruby really did sharpen that mind of yours." Kisuke asked. "What gave me away, Kurosaki-san?"

"Every time we faced each other, they always had the chance to kill one of us." Ichigo noted. "Yet they always made it seem we barely escaped with our lives. Then the game at the school where the students were transported away as though they were killed. You're many things Kisuke, but I know for a fact you would give your life then let something like that happen. Unless that was your doing and they are all okay. Lastly, are these three here. Their spiritual pressure felt somewhat artificial. I've only felt that from Kon, so that gave them away as Mod Souls as we discovered from that maze test last night, and the only one who can make Mod Souls to my knowledge is you."

"Spot on, Kurosaki-san." Kisuke confirmed, sighing. "That's a damn shame. I was hoping I was going to have some fun messing around with you, but it seems Ruby's really done a lot of good for you."

Ichigo smiled. "Yeah, she kinda does that to you. Speaking of, where his Ruby-hime?"

All of them except Kisuke did not notice Orihime fidget at Ichigo referring to Ruby with the affectionate honorific. Poor girl indeed for having her feelings bottled up inside and too late for the subject of his affections to have given his heart for another.

"Ruby Rose and her fellow friends from Remnant have been helping Yoruichi-chan investigate a strange phenomenon going on in Karakura." Kisuke answered. "It was serious enough to make the Soul Society close off the gates until the situation has been identified."

"Does it have something to do with Aizen?" Uryu wondered with trepidation.

"I would not count on that." Kisuke denied. "Yes, Aizen is indeed a looming threat, but he needs a lot more time to mature the Hogyoku that he stole. Besides, there are other threats in the world other than Aizen, so it's best to keep an open mind about all this.

"You know, Ichigo, this whole test was for you." Kisuke switched topics. "I wanted to test you on the mind such as your situational analysis. But you have told me and what you've shown in your recent fight is that I have no need to test at all. I had fully expected you to use the full power of your zanpakuto, yet you wisely held yourself back and handled the situation appropriately. Not every battle is won with brute force."

"I can attest to that." Ichigo said, dispelling that khyber blades. "With my spiritual pressure in harmony with itself, it has also become a lot more destructive. That's why I didn't risk using a **Getsuga Tensho** at all since coming here. Heck, just using my Shikai puts a strain on me. If I don't stop using it more than ten minutes without anything else, I can rip myself apart. In Bankai, I can only hold it in for a minute."

Kisuke hummed in thought. "You are right that your spiritual pressure has harmonized to your liking, but you are still missing a key component. What you lack is a proper conduit of the asauchi to channel that whole ocean of power within you. It is like you are trying to gather it through a straw rather than a funnel. Admittedly, that was my fault."

Instantly, the mood became a lot colder. Ichigo's expressin darkened considerably and a very violent aura of his spiritual pressure surrounded him. Cold brown eyes narrowed on Kisuke, who could not help but sweat nervously. Those very brown eyes that took on a mix of a yellow and blue hue.

"Mind repeating that, Urahara?" Ichigo hissed. "Because I think I just heard that you forgot something that I seriously needed."

Kisuke's body was fidgeting. "W-Well, y-y-you are r-right about th-that. I-It was a harmless mistake, h-honest. But you've been d-doing fine without, right? A-And s-so as a reward f-for passing the test, h-here's your asauchi."

It was a miracle with Kisuke's hands fumbling about in his fright that he was fast enough to pull out two blank asauchi blades from his coat. The scientist approached warily toward Ichigo still locking his cold gaze on the shinigami. Poor Kisuke was having the illusion that the hybrid's Vasto Lorde was standing there in place of Ichigo instead. The only way it can get worse is if Yoruichi had a reason to be mad at him. Again.

After placing the swords in front of Ichigo (the devil) and scampering back to hide behind the Mod Souls, Ichigo let go of his cold gaze and switched his attention back to the asauchi at his feet. He grabbed the hilt of the blades, channeling his reiatsu into them. White, black, blue, and red reiatsu seeped off of them respectively, and once fully transformed into proper zanpakuto the tsuba and blades gained the same colors as Ichigo's sealed form. Yet, he could feel that something was different, like the power in his hands flowed more perfectly. Not necessarily in better control, but rather the strain he felt was more or less gone.

A test wouldn't hurt.

 **"Black God, redeem your sins; White God, kill on instinct - Zangetsu."**

In a brief explosion of reiatsu, the dual Shikai in Ichigo's hands revealed itself. Surprisingly, they were still the same khyber blades, but they were now much smaller, just longer than the asauchi itself, as to not hinder his motions while in body. While indeed he can perfectly wield a blade the size of himself with relative ease, but he will admit that despite the weightlessness that it was still cumbersome to use it effectively.

 _'Oh, I get it.'_ Ichigo thought. _'It's similar to the reason why when I first had my powers that my zanpakuto was so huge. Even when I had my own powers, they were still too huge to wield properly. I just didn't have the right funnel to begin with to have the proper shape. How does it feel, Zangetsu?'_

 ** _'Feels nice and cozy in here.'_** Zangetsu Y said with Zangetsu X giving an agreeing grunt.

"This feels better." Ichigo noted, dispelling the blades into particles. "I don't feel that strain any more. Maybe I can also last longer in my Bankai."

Kisuke nodded. "And now with the asauchi to manifest your zanpakuto properly, you are hereby complete. All that's left to you now is to fully master your power, Ichigo. We are going to need it to counter Aizen when he makes his move eventually."

In an instant, Kisuke's mood went back to his goofy self with the smile and his fan waving at his face. "That concludes the lesson for today, so let's head upstairs where Tessai has whipped something good to eat."

However, several blurs five in total instead rushed down the ladder that led upstairs. Ichigo recognized an orange blur to Yoruichi in her orange jacket, and three others trailing behind her were members Yang, Weiss, and Blake from Team RWBY. That meant the red blur trailing rose petals that made it difficult to see who it was can only be...

CRASH!

... Ruby who had clamped all four limbs upon Ichigo like a gecko and was currently forcing her tongue into her fellow hybrid's mouth in a heated kiss. The sight alone made Kisuke and Urahara have several nosebleeds. Uryu instantly turned away, but Orihime looked like a kicked puppy at the scene. Weiss was gaping, Blake was struggling to stay conscious, but Yang and Yoruichi sported proud grins on their faces.

With a slight smack, Ruby ended the kiss and backed up so Ichigo could see the sly expression on Ruby's face. Brown eyes met silver that flashed that crimson red, causing a primal response within Ichigo with his Hollow. For a split second, crimson and gold stared at each other before the pair's eyes went back to their normal, with Ichigo having a small blush on his face.

"Miss me, sexy?" Ruby said, her tone alone made Renji pass out, and Yang fell to the ground laughing.

"Where have you been?" Ichigo asked, a bit of growl from his Hollow side underlying his tone.

 _ **'Why yes indeed where has sexy Queenie been for all your life?'**_ Zangetsu Y commented. _**'Just bang her already.'**_

BOP!

 _'Uncalled for.'_ Zangetsu X said after hitting the Hollow zanpakuto spirit over the head.

Ruby smiled. "Well, me and my team helped Yoruichi with the investigation. We met some lady trying to suck up people's reiatsu. I don't what was really going on, so..."

Ruby trailed off, looking towards Yoruichi expectantly. The former head of Squad 2 of the Gotei 13 shifted her expression to be more serious and professional. That garnered the attention of Kisuke, and the rest straightened their posture in attention.

"Kisuke," Yoruichi informed, "our attacker in the night is a Bount."

...

...

...

"What is a Bount?" Voiced Yang, and the serious mood took a nosedive as the very same question hanged over the teenagers. Yoruichi couldn't help but sigh in exasperation and was due for a lengthy explanation.

* * *

 **HOLY SHIT, it has been quite a while since I uploaded a chapter for this story. It was just because The Sins' Return and Rose Dragon Empress were getting such hype and I couldn't help uploading more and more chapters for those stories. I know not much headway was made in this chapter, so I hope you find it satisfactory. And yes, all that happened basically in this chapter was a redesign of Ichigo's Shikai to be smaller because there is no way you can dual wield with such enormous swords. I was tempted to make them look like Kanshou and Bakuya from Fate/Stay Night, but it's more important to keep the traditional khyber blade design.**

 **Up next is Chapter 50.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	50. Sadism of a Rose

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 50: Sadism of the Rose**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

From Yang's question, Yoruichi gave the short backstory of the Bount, or to be more accurate vampires as people through history have called them. That proved to be a slightly creepy and awkward analogy considering vampires were also told in Remnant. Kind of puts in perspective if such parallel myths can be true for one world or both.

The Bounts are or rather were a race of spiritually-powerful people whose souls went through a mutation in the reincarnation process that made them immortal. However, like almost every critical decision that effects the Physical Realm, the higher-ups in all their nonexistent wisdom decided to eliminate the entire population. A truly lousy choice that was. The Bounts could have been used as an allied force to the Soul Society that kept tabs on the happenings of the Physical Realm that could fall in interest with the Soul Society.

Central 46 made sure to fix the reincarnation process so no more Bounts can ever be born into the world again. Which meant the Bount that Yoruichi and RWBY had been tracking down is one of survivors of the massacre, possibly part of a group. That is what Ruby at least assumed. It sort of reminded her of the time with trying to catch Torchwick from stealing Dust, only to discover too late he was part of a much larger and horrific scheme that costed many innocent lives. A seemingly city-class thug teamed up with a dangerous terrorist organization as the White Fang under the thumb of Cinder who was also under the thumb of Salem.

Cinder. Ruby doesn't always think up on that name, and before she came to Earth as a dead soul that has been a passing thought since she was believed to be killed by Raven. Now as she thought of the ash-haired pyromaniac, Ruby could not quell the boiling anger that made her fist clench tightly to pierce her skin if it weren't for her dense Aura and Hierro. She had caused so much suffering and saw the smile she had in tormenting others. For what purpose? For power? For enjoyment? Servant of Salem or not, Cinder was the one who brought Beacon, one of the pillars of strength in Remnant, to the ground and filling the once grand halls of the school with Grimm.

 _'And I had such a chance to stop all of that.'_ Ruby thought bitterly.

The worst of it all was that there was a time where Ruby could have stopped Cinder, right when she first bumped into her at the halls. She should've have been more suspicious, maybe asking others from Haven if they were actually from their school. Reported to the staff. Asked Ozpin. Anything but no Ruby did nothing, and because of that people got hurt. Because of her Penny died-

Ruby violently shook her head once she realized where her thoughts were becoming less rational. Ever since becoming an Arrancar, her line of thought has been much more prone to go wild with emotion than usual. She should not brood over the past like that. That was then and this was now where Ruby can still do good for the better. No use in going on a rampage while howling towards the moon.

Isn't this quite the joke she was in? By all accounts, her Hollow basically makes her a werewolf, and now vampires have joined in the crazy of it all. If this isn't a bad Halloween joke, then Ruby didn't know what this was.

"So... we're basically vampire hunters now." Yang spoke up in the long silence.

"Ooh, do we get to stab some bad guys with wooden stakes?!" Nora cried ecstatically, and somehow holding up a wooden stake.

"Calm down, Nora." Ren reined the hyper orange-head in.

The Mod Souls, RWBY, JNP(R), Senna, Kisuke, Tessai, Yoruichi, and the super-powered kids were currently seated in Kisuke's candy shop around the small table where Yoruichi was giving her explanation on the tribe known as the Bounts.

"You know," Jaune said, "I came to Beacon just to make my parents proud. When and why did our lives become this crazy?"

Weiss sighed in defeat. "I think none of us were ever going to have a normal life."

"Preach to the choir." Ruby snarked playfully.

In comparison to Ruby, their lives were more or less normal since they weren't a walking freak of nature. Not that she was complaining, but all those hopes of a 'happy-ever-after' or whatever peaceful end like in those stories she used to read is out the window. Only Ichigo shares the same fate.

"Normally, Bounts only eat souls during a Konso." Yoruichi explained. "However as I and RWBY found out, the Bount that we are after is eating live souls."

"Not to sound pessimistic, but she may not be alone in this." Ruby added. "Nothing is ever that simple."

The Remnanties nodded in agreement. Their own past experiences ever since the fall of Beacon to the near-apocalyptic incident in Argus taught them that. Whatever situation they were in, it was bound to get worse. As paranoid as that sounded, it was a sure way of thinking of living through all of this without their guard down.

"Too true, Pup-chan." Yoruichi agreed, making Ruby's wolf appendages hidden by her gigai twitch in annoyance at the nickname. "For all we know, the Bount could be a member of some sort of variant that split off from the tribe."

"And we're still sitting here doing nothing!" Snapped Ichigo. "There could be more victims right now."

"That's I and my team have been doing for these last couple of days." Ruby interjected. "Since we can't trace their spiritual pressure normally we have to settle with more traditional ways of tracking them, and Team RWBY is by far the more hunting oriented group here. It's what we've been trained to do."

"And you really can't do anything if you can't track them... until now that is!" Kisuke said with a dramatic flair, pointing his fan at Ririn, Noba, and Kurodo. "See, these Mod Souls have been fitted with a reishi detector to, of course, detect beings who have heightened levels of spiritual pressure. Even Bounts can't escape it.

"Also, I believe that Chad and Orihime could use the extra support." Kisuke continued, pointing his fan at the two humans. "Since our enemy is attacking living humans, it makes sense that they will go after those with higher levels of spiritual pressure. So we must do what we can to find them, and that leaves having these three stay with you."

"What about me?" Uryu asked.

Kisuke looked strained in answering. "Well, you see, Uryu, as I was trying to explain-"

"You don't have any powers anymore." Ririn interrupted rather violently.

The effect was devastating on Uryu. The air around him darkened in misery, and the former Quincy hung his head in shame. The others around the table flinched at the true, yet heartless reply from Ririn. Ichigo at least rested a hand on his shoulder to provide some comfort.

"Yeesh, you are one cold brat." Ruby said.

"She's even colder than Ice Queen." Yang quipped, though the usual humor in her tone was lost.

"For once, I am inclined to agree with you, Yang." Weiss said.

"Well... it is the truth." Ririn said, shrinking back as everyone more or less were ganging up on her for the blame.

"Now then," Kisuke said as he got back onto the topic, "Kurodo, I think you should go to Orihime's place."

"Well, if I must." Kurodo replied with a blush.

"You better not let _anything_ happen on the sweet cheeks." Yang said in a threatening tone as she cracked her knuckles to signify her threat and making the Mod Soul gulp.

"Noba, you go with Chad to his place." Kisuke ordered, getting a silent nod from the Mod Soul.

"Fine, since I don't get a choice I'll stay with the strawberry." Ririn said. "But once the trouble starts, you better stay out of my way."

"Kisuke," Ichigo said, ignoring the Mod Soul, "why am I stuck with the brat? Do I really need a radar?"

"HEY!" Cried Ririn in anger.

"It's not that I am not confident in your abilities to fight off the enemy, far from it actually." Kisuke explained. "In fact, I'd say you could take on most of the Gotei 13 by yourself at the level you are now."

"Why don't give her to Ruby or Ren?" Ichigo suggested.

"Oh please do." Ruby added, her sadist smile forming. "I would like to test some new... methods for disciplining bratty children when they don't behave."

Ruby's silver eyes locked onto Ririn, and the Mod Soul froze. Instead of the silver eyes, the Mod Soul saw Ruby standing there with pupils of burning crimson and a smile so wide it revealed sharp canine teeth. All the while Ru- _the demon -_ was holding onto a length of chain and a black whip ready to crack on her flesh. Overwhelming fear spread through Ririn like an assassin's poison, and she wanted to hide herself in the deepest, darkest hole to escape the nightmare that was sitting only a few feet away.

"Please no." Whimpered Ririn. "I'll be good, I'll be good, I promise."

"There'd be no point in sending Ririn to Ruby." Kisuke said, making Ririn relax and Ruby to pout in disappointment. "Ruby is a special case among us. As an Arrancar, and in that more attune to a Hollow, Ruby has a natural sense for reishi of any kind."

"Basically, I can sniff them out." Ruby simplified. "And from what I've learned, Bounts smell like a buffet while Hollows are like a trash bag. The dog puns would not stop."

"Are you sure you're not thinking from your stomach?" Yang said.

"Bite me." Ruby replied hotly.

"Wow, girl's got a good bark to her." Yang joked, making everyone in the room groan.

"Dammit Yang, that one's been used too many times." Blake said.

"But it's still comedy gold." Yang cried fiercely.

"And Ren here is the reserve and can fortify his home with Kido." Kisuke continued with his explanation. "The problem with you, Ichigo, is that you are severely lacking in sensory skills. Ririn is here to make sure that you are on top of the situation and not with your guard down when we need you."

"That's right." Huffed Ririn. "So you should be grateful that I am going with you so you don't get killed in your sleep."

Ichigo's last response to that was an eye twitch and then his usual scowl. And according to Ruby, it was the scowl for irritation if how far his lips curled down and the way his shoulders shook like a rumbling volcano. Still pretty funny though.

"Before I forget," Kisuke added on last piece, "I believe it's for the best to hide you in stuffed animals to avoid suspicion."

Noba made no reaction from the news and Kurodo was more calm if only for a single bead of cold sweat. Ririn's displeasure was fully disclosed to everyone as her face contorted into an expression of misery and horror at the fact she was going to change bodies into a toy of all things.

Seeing Ririn's displeasure to Kisuke's orders turned Ichigo's scowl into a smug grin. As for Ruby, her sadistic grin returned with greater force. Not only was it sharp enough to reveal the canine teeth in the back of her mouth, but the white of her right eye turned pitch black with a crimson iris to replace her silver pupil. She was going to have so much fun picking out Ririn's new body.

"Oh, don't worry, Ririn- _chan_." Ruby spoke so sweetly it could be considered poisonous. "I promise that I will pick the body that is just... _per~fect_ for you. Fu-fu-fu."

Ririn didn't want to go in a dark hold anymore. That would not work at all. No, she needed to go into Hueco Mundo and find the most vile pit full of the worst of Hollows because that is safer than anywhere near Ruby. As she saw a dark aura of the abyss surrounding Ruby that was a glimpse to her darkest desires, Ririn had her back to the wall cowering in fear. She wasn't the only one as Blake and Weiss, being the ones closest to Ruby, decided to use Yang as a lifeline as she was the most tolerant of Ruby in her sadist mode. Not that any of them were completely immune to the terror that is the sadism of the Rose.

* * *

(Remnant)

With the favorite drunk uncle, or rather father, Qrow who was currently in his past time drinking whiskey, he suddenly froze up as long forgotten memories forced themselves to the surface. Memories that consisted of his late lover Summer and their rather explicit 'exploits'. He loves Summer to death, but it gave credit to Qrow's insanity how he put up with her in their relatioship. Or more accurately why he did not run away to the farthest reaches of Remnant for his safety.

When it came to 'fun' as consenting adults do (and Qrow was using the term 'consenting' loosely), Summer's interpretation was not sunshine and rainbows or that lovey crap. No, for the sweet and kind person that Summer was to the public, in private the woman, no devil, was a BDSM fanatic. The stuff that she did that could make the hardened villains of Salem squirm in fear was a real turn on for her. And Qrow had to be the 'lucky' guy to be her personal pet during their nightly sessions.

He still had phantom pains of the whip lashings on his ass and back, and his muscles would twitch in memory in how painfully stretched they were from the chains. And that sickly sweet voice that could make angels cry in envy, but Qrow knew perfectly well that Summer was no angel.

Now reminded of that fact that was Summer, Qrow realized their very spawn was with a man herself. Ichigo by the name if he remembered correctly. That boy... Qrow was going to pray to the Brother Gods that he's still sane if Ruby is anything like her mother. He was a good kid too with enough balls to literally snap sense into him. It'd be a shame if he broke.

* * *

(Back with the gang)

"So tell me, Ririn- _chan,_ " Ruby said sweetly as she looked over her handiwork, "how do you like your new body?"

Ruby decided to go along to Ichigo's house for tonight seeing how she was eager to give Ririn's new plushy body. Not that Ichigo could stop him since the moment his father saw the couple together walking towards the house he all but forced Ichigo to allow Ruby to stay. As he would have said that his house will always be a home for his 'third' daughter. That little tidbit from the former shinigami captain earned a kick to the face from Ichigo in annoyance. Just the usual as always.

"All... of... my... hate." Growled Ririn, but all she could really do in her state was glare.

"And your hate brings me joy!" Ruby cooed, but with a rather predatory gleam in her eyes.

"..." Ichigo had literally no words with only the cackles of Zangetsu Y in his head to keep him company, and Ruby at the end of the day was the strangest thing in his life despite Hollows and shinigami in his life.

Because right before his eyes could possibly be the most scandalous yet oddly cute little doll crafted by Ruby personally. Where and when Ruby had the opportunity to make it he didn't dare ask, or else he may lose his sanity. When he got home and offered whatever dolls he had from the time of Yuzu and Karin's time as babies as a new body for Ririn, the Mod Soul went on temper tantrum like a spoiled brat. That was when Ruby made her move popping out Ririn's soul candy and thus forcing it into a new vessel.

The vessel in question was a doll made to look like a miniature version of an ash-haired woman with a buttoned eyes painted black and orange. Now that wouldn't be a problem if the choice of clothing wasn't so... Well, off putting are words to describe it. In terms of actual clothing on the doll, it was more or less quite revealing with straps of black wrapped tightly around the figure of the doll with just a lot more modesty around the groin area in the form of black pants. The limbs of the doll on the other hand were tied back by string that looked oddly like chains that bound them to the doll's back seemingly painfully. And possibly the most disturbing about the doll was on the exposed stomach on the doll it read, "Ruby's Slave", complete with a black heart at the end.

So in short, Ruby made a BDSM doll for the sole purpose of humiliating Mod Souls by trapping them in this body. According to Ririn, it was going to permanent unless someone else ejected her soul candy. Ichigo was sure at this point that his sanity was lost at this point because he couldn't muster up any emotion to care at this point. That is what Ruby has done to him, and it won't be the end of it.

"So Ichigo," Ruby perked up, turning from sadist to sweet in an instant, "what do you think?"

"Just... why?" Ichigo managed to force out.

"Because I enjoy it." Ruby answered.

"This is-" Snarled Ririn. "This is just - awful! I'm a Mod Soul! I deserve better than this!"

"Oh no, no, no." Ruby said, wagging her finger in front of the doll. "You can only earn your privileges. Just be lucky I didn't decide to add a ball gag because we need you to talk to give Ichigo directions towards the Bount."

"But - But I hate this body!" Ririn whined.

"Well, unless you behave you will stay in that body." Ruby admonished. "So suck it up."

Ririn was about to exclaim more rebellious words until she suddenly went stiff. Ruby raised a confused brow until she started sniffing the air for reishi and her eyes widened when she caught the scent of a Bount. To her, a Bount's scent was similar to a Hollow's, which was a bunch of souls mixed together into one entity. Only the Bounts had a much more refined reishi to them while Hollows simply smelled disgusting.

"It's a Bount, isn't it?" Ichigo asked seriously picking up the situation.

Ruby nodded. "I'll go get my team."

Ruby's body fell limp as she ejected herself out, revealing her in her Arrancar form with the pair of wolf ears. The body turned into a soul candy that Ruby pocketed away and she opened the window to disappear in a buzz of sonido. Ichigo followed soon after ejecting his soul out of his body and picking up Ririn to give direction and then disappearing in a burst of shunpo. The hunt for killer vampires has begun.

In some part of Karakura, one Nora Valkyrie was already sharpening wooden stakes in preparation despite Ren trying to dissuade her from doing so. She was determined to be a vampire hunter the right way, and that's by stabbing someone with a wooden stake. If it weren't for their already estranged lives in the supernatural, they would've thought Nora had some psycho serial killer tendencies.

* * *

 **Okay, got this chapter done and we're halfway there to 100 chapters. I could've made this chapter longer, but I felt that it was necessary to put the rest of it into the next chapter. Besides, I am busy keeping up the quota for Rose Dragon Empress, The Sins' Return, and The Witch Princess of Chaos which have become huge hits. And that's not to mention the more stories that are being cooked up for the future.**

 **Up next is Chapter 51.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	51. Bount Interrogation

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 51: Bount Interrogation**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Ichigo arrived at the location in time to see the Bount, a woman to be precise with long brown hair, in the process of eating a civilian's reishi. Trusting his instinct more than forward planning, Ichigo unleashed his Shikai and threw the white blade of Zangetsu Y like a dart expertly aimed at the Bount's head. It worked as far as Ichigo's standards went as the Bount woman was forced to drop the civilian and avoid the tip of Zangetsu Y trying to skewer itself into her head. With shunpo Ichigo caught the unconscious woman and settled her down so he could stand between the civilian and the Bount. At the same time, Ichigo yanked back on the strap of Zangetsu Y, abruptly turning its velocity and direction the direct opposite way towards the vampire. The Bount had only noticed the last second and she dived to the ground to avoid the kyber blade as its hilt returned to his hand.

All of this transpired in just one second, and now the situation was put at a neutral state. Ichigo rested Zangetsu Y on his shoulder while he and the Bount exchanged heated glares. It took a lifetime's amount of temper to not recklessly destroy the woman with a **Getsuga Tensho** for callously killing a person. The least of Ruby's partnership and mentoring with the three-way hybrid gave Ichigo the sense to find out answers to end the whole debacle.

"What does a shinigami have to do with me?" The Bount asked.

"Cut the shit." Ichigo replied with an angry scowl, summoning Zangetsu X and pointing it at the woman. "The moment you started targeting innocent people to feed on, you were bound to face punishment. Doesn't matter if I'm a shinigami or not, I saw what you were trying to do, and I don't like it."

"I'd prefer you didn't interfere." The Bount spat.

"That's what I hate about people like you." Ichigo snarled as black, red, blue, and white energy surrounded him in a storm of reiatsu. "You can't seem to give a damn no matter how many people you kill. It really pisses me off!"

The Bount's eyes widened at the sheer speed of Ichigo when he launched off with both Zangetsus raised over his head to cleave her down. She barely sidestepped the blow that shattered the wall behind her, but she never left his sights. Her only choice was to make a run for it through the alleyways between the buildings. Ichigo chased her down wherever she went like a phantom out for blood.

To her ire, the Bount was trapped at a dead end and Ichigo was standing in the way of possible escape the other way. He was calmed down now enough to interrogate the Bount now. If push came to shove, Ichigo was willing to show his power to maybe at least stall her till Ruby arrives. His girlfriend has proven to be an effective interrogator.

"Last chance before things get very nasty _a.k.a. when Ruby-hime gets here_." Ichigo said. "Tell me what's your plan sucking the reishi from the living? And I know for a fact you can eat dead souls, so spill."

"Even if I told you, I doubt your feeble mind could comprehend it." The Bount seemed to insult Ichigo. "Such an annoying boy-"

Her words were caught off by a buzz of static and the female Bount felt the kiss of cold steel touch her neck. A second after that moment of shock did she realize that a pair of legs had intertwined around hers locking them down and her left arm was roughly held back while the right was caught in an elbow lock. She strained her neck back to look at her attacker only to see pitch black eyes with crimson scelera of Ruby Rose in her full Arrancar form.

"That 'boy' belongs to me." Ruby hissed. "And I'd prefer you not insult his intelligence. That is my job."

"Love you too, hime." Ichigo quipped in a deadpan.

"I - won't you tell you anything you want." The woman rejected, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Wrong answer." Ruby said, putting the blade closer to the woman's neck just before cutting the skin. **"Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."**

Crackles of blue lightning on the white steel of Ruby's zanpakuto were the only signs of warning to come before the Bount suffered from volts upon volts of electricity. Try as she might, the Bount could not hold back her agonized screams feeling all her nerves were burning in pain. She failed to maintain the strength in her legs and kneeled to the ground to somehow find comfort from the electricity that refused to watch. Ichigo watched mostly with a grimace and a sweatdrop seeing the euphoric smile and the blush adorning Ruby's face as she was actually getting off on it.

 ** _'Like I said, she's beautifully insane and you love it.'_** Zangetsu Y hollered in his head.

At the point that Ichigo was going to tell Ruby to stop, the Arrancar canceled the hado spell. The Bount was left on all fours on the ground with pillars of smoke and the smell of cooked skin rising off her body. She spared a glance of hatred towards the Arrancar and prepared to use her doll to burn her alive. Her left hand went to the rings on her right finger to summon the lava construct, but Ruby was faster and in a blur stomped her foot on top of the Bount's right hand to prevent the usage of her powers.

"If you play nice, then I won't have to... punish~ you, fu-fu-fu." Ruby warned, a growth in her pitch that spoke of unholy desires.

The Bount's heated glare withered as she fully took in of who was standing over her. As soon as she realized as such, no longer did she see some sort of annoyance to run from. No, this woman, this demon, was out for her literal blood to flow on the ground. The glare the Bount put up defiantly was crushed into quivering fear as those crimson eyes drilled terror into her soul the likes of which can only come from the dark pits of hell. Her remaining kin could not compete with this level of joyous malice. Kariya himself would be preferred because while he can turn to torture for his goals he certainly didn't go out to enjoy it unlike the demon woman that looked to be waiting for some excuse to electrocute her. She realized that her situation was hopeless now under the mercy of a true sadist.

"I see you are starting to understand." Ruby whispered as she leaned down, the tone in her voice sending cold shivers through the Bount. "Here is what is going to happen. I am going to ask questions and you will answer them. Stay silent or lie, I get to play with you."

"Fine." Answered the Bount.

"Oh no, no, no that will not do." Ruby said dripping with glee. "From here on out, you will call me Mistress Rose."

"Uh, Ruby-hime?" Ichigo called to the Arrancar, diverting her attention to the three-way hybrid whose face showed his discomfort at the scene. "Look I know that we have to stop this mess, but let's just calm down and back it up a notch. We only need to get some answers. No need to scar her... physically or mentally for that matter."

Ruby pouted. "Mou, Ichi-kun, I just want some fun. But since you've asked, I'll just get onto business. I'll save my... inhibitions for _you_ later."

The chills and jolts running up and down Ichigo's spine cannot properly explain the emotions. It was just in the way how her eyes became half-lidded and her voice carried a hint of huskiness when she said those words sent some rather explicit signals that gave Ichigo a sense of utter terror and yet left a blush on his face. His only hope was that whatever Ruby planned for him would not land him in the loony bin as a result.

 _'Damn you Yoruichi, look what you did to sweet Ruby-hime.'_ Ichigo screamed in his head.

 ** _'But you know you love it.'_** Zangetsu Y exclaimed with wolf whistles.

 _'Juha, shut him up!'_ Ichigo ordered as his blush grew as his mind wandered to more... unsavory thoughts of what Ruby would do.

 _'Shutting him up.'_ Zangetsu X replied.

 ** _'#### you. I will not be silenced while Queenie is giving us the 'look'-'_**

BAM!

 _'Oh thank Kami.'_ Ichigo praised to his Quincy half.

"Now, back to the matter at hand." Ruby said, her attention locking back on the Bount below her. "Be a good girl and answer the first question. I'll start off something simple. What is your name?"

"...My name is Yoshino. Yoshino Soma." The Bount gave out her name in the danger of Ruby's foot applying pressure on her spine.

Ruby smiled widely. "See~? Was that so hard?"

 _'I would think it's hard because I'd have trouble to speak from terror.'_ Ichigo thought, and Yoshino's own thoughts weren't so far off.

"Next question." Ruby announced. "Why are you eating the souls of living humans?"

However, Yoshino did not give any indication of answering the second questions. Her lips tightened to prevent any accidental words from escaping her mouth and she steeled they look in her eyes as best as she could. Whatever answer was in her head must be so important that Yoshino's composure held true in the face of Ruby's intimidation. Said Arrancar narrowed her eye dangerously and brief anger flashed on her crimson eyes. Ruby twisted her blade in her hand and held the tip at the base of her neck.

Yoshino waited for the pain of lightning surging through her nervous system, but it never came. Rather than pain, it was pure intent that flooded the area. The Bount found the breath in her lungs force itself out from an incredible increase of spiritual pressure. It felt as if gravity had increased over ten times the original amount, preventing whatever struggle to escape impossible from the sheer weight pressing down upon her. Suffused with the spiritual pressure was Ruby's very intent in it, effectively making the Yoshino's heart freeze in fear. If Ruby wanted to, she could make the Bount beg for death.

"I don't take kindly to your silence, Yo-shi-no." Ruby said. "I would worry about if it's worth it keeping your secrets. If it is, I'll introduce to a friend of mine who's itching to see what can kill a vampire. Spoiler alert, she loves her wooden stakes."

Yoshino had the decency to gulp, but still refused to say a word. Ruby let out a sigh and prepared to hit the Bount's head hard with the pommel of her zanpakuto to bring her back to base for questioning. That is until her instincts screamed at her to move, and letting her Hollow senses take control she disappeared in a burst of sonido in time to avoid a rain of snakes that pierced through a stone wall. The dust cleared revealing the snakes turning back into broken pipes.

"To think that I had to save you from the food." Spoke a masculine voice, dripping with arrogance and pride that would make Jacques Schnee blush. "Shame on you, Yoshino."

As Ruby reappeared at Ichigo's side, they saw as a man stepped out of the shadows towards Yoshino. He had short brown hair and a neat goatee, and was dressed formally in a white button-up shirt, a tie, and a vest that presented himself as a noble. Curling about his body were several snakes that hissed menacingly at the two hybrids.

"You!" Ichigo called out, making the newcomer pause in his step. "Are you another of the Bounts?"

The man leveled a blank look at Ichigo, as if he were a mere insect. "Where I come from, food are not allowed to talk."

 _'So in other words, yes he is a Bount.'_ Zangetsu X spoke.

 ** _'This guy is just asking for a Getsuga Tensho to his face.'_** Zangetsu Y added.

"Zero to pissed in under five seconds; you have talent." Ruby half-snarled, her eyes glaring at the man like chips of crimson ice.

If there were any sort of people hated the most, it were the ones that regarded life, especially sentient life, as meaningless. The importance of life was key in her own ancestry as Maria had told her from her experience of using her silver eyes. Yet despite the expressive cold wrath from Ruby, the man brushed her off and focused his attention on Yoshino, who was tense in the presence of the man.

"Time to bring you home." The man muttered, licking his lips in a very creepy manner to make the female Bount step back in clear fear.

 _ **'I don't care who, but no one deserves to be looked at like that.'**_ Christina commented, clear disgust in her tone.

 _'Let's fix that.'_ Ruby replied.

It both irked and shocked the creep of a Bount that as he was about to command his Doll to bound Yoshino down that Ruby was standing in his way. He didn't even sense her move with only the static of sonido as his only warning. No sooner was he glaring back at those crimson orbs did he feel a vice grip from the Arrancar on his right wrist.

"What the-" Cursed the Bount, his efforts to get his arm free proving fruitless from the strength of Ruby's grip. "You insolent bug!"

Ruby chose a glance at her surroundings and noticed several objects around her turning into snakes. Wood panels shifted into life-like scales of slithering bodies that sprang at Ruby like a thrown spear, but she made no effort to move at all. Instead of the snakes skewering Ruby's back, they impacted in a cloud of dust that when cleared revealed the snakes reverted back to inanimate objects that were scrunched up. Ruby was left unaffected thanks to the combined defenses of her Hierro and Aura.

"Let go of me!" The Bount yelled, masking his shock with arrogance. "I am Utagawa, your natural better, and I will not be held down by some lower ingrate-"

His words were abruptly cut off from Ruby backhanding the identified Bount aside into a wall with enough force to crumble it down. Yoshino stood in morbid shock of how easily this one person was dealing with her kin, and was just starting to dawn on her how critically they underestimated the local forces in Kuoh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something?" Ruby replied in a mocking tone. "You see, I have this ear problem where I become deaf to entitled shits and all I hear is 'hit me'."

"Damn shinigami!" Growled Utagawa, crawling himself out of the rubble and bleeding from the corner of his lips. **"Fried."**

After uttering the word, the eyes of the snake on his shoulder glowed red. Reiatsu glowed from numerous cracks and linear objects surrounding the area turning into snakes. Ichigo snapped to action as the summoned reptiles chose to attack at random. He summoned both Zangetsus in their sealed states to his hands and began hacking at all angels to ward off the threats and his Aura mitigated any damage dealt upon him even without the application of Hierro that Ruby had. Said Arrancar did not bother dodging as her natural defenses nullified such attacks. Where Ichigo had more offensive power, Ruby made that up in defense.

"Why don't you just die and get out of my way!?" Utagawa roared, summoning a yellow whip to his right hand and gave a loud crack with it.

It was at that moment Ruby sensed a buildup of reiatsu above her, followed by a bolt of lightning just barely missing the Bount and herself. The blast itself caused a thick cloud of dust to cover the area, giving Yoshino the chance to retreat for the night. Utagawa growled in rage and jumped up to the roofs to make his own escape and possible chase to the female Bount. Ruby would have gone to chase Utagawa to capture for questioning, but she was halted by an orb of reiatsu of familiar Hado spell.

And that attacker proved to be none other than Rukia Kuchiki. Unusually for a shinigami, she was wearing normal clothes of a one-piece blue skirt. Her zanpakuto was not in sight due to her being in a gigai currently. In any given time, Ichigo and Ruby would be thrilled to see their friend. Such feelings were preoccupied by one singular question: Why is she attacking Ruby?

The answer hit Ruby and Ichigo like a train as they both exclaimed in their mental link. _'She doesn't know!'_

Ruby was a whole source of Hollow reiatsu that was in control but simply too large to ignore at close range. Her appearance in her full Arrancar form didn't even connect Rukia to Ruby at all, especially the bone shard and the wolf ears.

"Ichigo, am I glad I came in time!" Rukia cried, aiming her arm at Ruby. "Perhaps together, we can take on this Hollow. I never imagined this much reiatsu from a single one."

"Rukia, calm down." Ichigo shouted to the petite Kuchiki. "She's not an enemy."

" _She_ may look like I person, but that reiatsu is no doubt a hollow." Rukia declared.

"He's right." Ruby said, receiving a quizzical look from Rukia. "It's me, Ruby."

Rukia watched in growing shock as Ruby reigned in her Hollow features. The horn and the upper jaw disappeared to leave only a small fragment left. It was only until Ruby's left eye became silver again and both lost the pitch black in their whites did Rukia realize her would-be opponent.

"Ruby!" Cried Rukia.

"Hi, Rukia." Ruby greeted with a sheepish grin.

"Wh-What happened to you!?" Rukia panicked, gripping at her hair in confusion. "Why is your reiatsu that of a Hollow? When did you get wolf ears? Did you know about this Ichi - WHY DO YOU HAVE A TAIL!?"

Ichigo facepalmed. "I feel that is going to be running gag for a long time."

"BANZAI!"

The feminine war cry followed the (crash) landing of none other than Nora Valkyrie, freshly out of her gigai with both hammer and wooden stakes in hand. Followed soon after in a burst of shunpo were Ren and Senna, the latter falling to the floor from exhaustion. Orihime and Chad were the last to arrive turning a corner.

"What the hell is wrong with this woman?" Groaned Senna.

"Where are vampires?!" Exclaimed Nora, darting around the area with a crazed look in her eyes. "I'm ready to stab some vampires! Give me vampires to stab!"

"Nora!" Ren raised his voice as soon as he got a grip on Nora's shoulders. "Calm down. There is no stabbing people because there are not vampires here anymore."

Nora pouted, threw her stakes in a fit, and sat down on the ground with a frown. Ruby sighed before running her hand down her face in exasperation. For Ichigo, he just dispelled his swords away knowing the night of patrolling was over. Now he had to deal with making room for Rukia at his house, and knowing his relationship with Ruby already he knew it was going to go _swimmingly_ with his father.

 _'Fan-#######-tastic!'_

The breaking of Ichigo's sanity and perception of normal life continues.

* * *

 **I finally get a chapter of this out there. Wasn't sure if I wanted to kill Utagawa this early on or not. I'll definitely be restoring Uryu's powers earlier and let him and Ichigo bond as cousins of a sort since Ichigo is part Quincy and they can train together in the arts. This Arc is mostly the same as canon, but the purpose is to show the power of (R)WBY and JN(PR) with their new zanpakuto. For example, Weiss will face off against Koga and reveal her new Shikai in the battle.**

 **Here another idea of an upcoming story I would like an opinion on, but this was requested by Phantom Infinite.**

 **Super Ruby Rose, a Dragon Ball Super/Z and RWBY crossover.**

 **Summary (1): Ruby was going through her usual morning routine. Combat skirt? Check. Bestie? Check. Crescent Rose? Check. Getting ready for classes? Check. Grow a tail overnight, get dreams about a man calling himself Black, and have gods knocking on her door? Not check! Inspired by TheUnknownLegion.**

 **OR**

 **Summary (2): Ruby always knew she was different, and not because of her monkey tail. Mom said the same thing about Dad, but he had died from an illness before she was born. In her dreams however, she always meets a man that claims to be her father. For he was Zamasu from the one known as Black, his body's mind having lost memory and then to live on this planet, but Zamasu's soul fractured as that led to the man's death. But the godly entity endured and focused his spirit in his progeny, Ruby Rose, to forge her into a new pinnacle of beauty. Saiyan/Demigod Ruby.**

 **So that's the gist of it and I am stuck at a crossroad on how to proceed. For the former summary, look at The Demonic Saiyan to understand the direction for that while the latter was provided by Phantom Infinite. Let me know in the reviews.**

 **Up next is Chapter 52.**

 **Stay in touch, Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	52. Another One Bites the Dust

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 52: Another One Bites the Dust**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Ichigo had been foretold of the coming headache as soon as he came home with Rukia, Ruby, Chad, and Orihime with their Mod Soul companions to discuss a strategy. Ruby had her fellow teammates return back to their own home to retire for the night, if just to have Ichigo save more face in front of his father. He felt a vein or two bulging on his forehead when his father caught sight of his son coming home with three women in tow. Rukia gave a 'believable' excuse to the Kurosaki father that they were studying together for schoolwork. Of course, now Ichigo knew that Isshin was in fact a former shinigami captain and was merely playing with Rukia's lie without her suspecting anything. But it didn't stop the lecherous smile adorning the goofy man's face seeing his son coming home with a beautiful trio, painting a very peculiar image.

"This has to be a dream." Isshin said, his shoulders shaking with pride. "There's no way, but my boy Ichigo has come home with not one, not two, but three beautiful ladies to his home. I mean come on. Though, if that is true, well done-"

Isshin's words were cut off in a harsh gag due to a fist embedded in his gut. Surprisingly, the blow came from Ruby herself as she gave a stern glare to the elder Kurosaki. The three months she had spent living in Karakura Town allowed her to get more or less acquainted with the daily antics that were involved. That included being the subject to Isshin's insanity, and it soon rubbed off on her to use Ichigo's father like a punching bag whenever he went too far. It certainly didn't help when Isshin would include perverted talk of more than one girl.

"There's no way Ichigo has more than one girl." Ruby stated harshly to Isshin. "Because he is mine and mine alone."

Ruby retracted her fist, letting Isshin collapse to the floor holding his stomach aching in pain. From the sidelines, Ichigo had a smug grin seeing his father getting his just desserts from someone else. Yet, there was still a proud look on the man's face.

"Excellent punch Ruby, as expected of my future daughter-in-law." Isshin praised in a groan.

That got Ruby's brows to twitch. In the end, Isshin had the last laugh in the matter. With a sigh, the group of reiatsu-sensitives gathered in Ichigo's spartan room. Ichigo sat backwards on his chair with his head resting on his crossed arms, but Ruby sat on the table behind him with her arms wrapped around Ichigo to keep her boyfriend as close as possible. Orihime and Rukia sat on Ichigo's bed, and Chad sat on the hardwood floor.

Rukia was the first one to speak to the present situation. "What do we do now? Anybody have any suggestions?"

"Well, we now know that these guys can track down the Bounts so we can find them." Ichigo said, sparing a glance to the BDSM doll that housed Ririn. "But I don't think the Bounts will stop with whatever they are doing, at least not quietly."

"What about their abilities, besides their trickery?" Rukia asked.

"The only thing tricky about them is that their reiatsu feels nonexistent." Ruby answered. "I am the only one who can sort of smell them out from whatever reiatsu they have consumed."

"Similar to shinigami, the Bounts have different powers vary from each individual, so any countermeasures will be next to impossible unless we have all of the information." Kurodo said with his ear-arms crossed in front of him.

"I'll say." Ichigo agreed, recalling his encounters with the vampires. "From we can gather, the woman named Yoshino uses some kind of fire attack while that man tonight can turn random objects into serpents. He doesn't seem very dangerous if you can get past his offense, which Ruby and I have no trouble with given our Aura protecting us."

"We have look for more clues to combat them and fast." Said Orihime, with Chad nodding in agreement. "The more time we waste, the more people can die with their souls sucked out."

"I know that, and I'm open to suggestions to stop this mess faster." Ichigo said.

"Hmm, we may have a small advantage already." Ruby mused. "From what we've seen tonight, there is definitely a divide in the Bounts eating souls. Why else would that creep come after Yoshino and demand her return?"

"Maybe we have an ally." Ichigo said in half-wonder. "Rukia, what about the Soul Society? Didn't they give you any information about these Bounts?"

Rukia shook her head. "No, I've never heard of them until tonight. If they knew, they certainly didn't tell me."

Ruby narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Sounds really fishy to me."

Before Rukia had a chance to reply, her cellphone began to buzz. Flipping the device open, she was treated to the frantic screaming of Renji excited to know she was in Karakura Town. The call lasted for less than a minute and concluded with the fact that Renji was one his way to the Kurosaki home. Their attention went downstairs when they heard one of the windows suddenly shatter followed by a pained cry from Isshin. When they came downstairs, it was to find that Renji had indeed crashed through a window and landed on top of the elder Kurosaki.

Ichigo was no amount pissed off that the redheaded idiot broke a window into his home. A dark aura surrounded the three-way hybird as he accosted towards Renji, he was stopped in the middle of greeting the shinigami. Renji's world was filled with pain as Ichigo's right hand clamped down on Renji's skull in an Iron Claw, and he was forced to stare in agitated brown eyes bleeding black.

"You absolute dumbass!" Roared Ichigo, dragging the redhead all the way to his room with everyone else. "There is something called a door that you can use. I prefer not to have my windows broken."

Ichigo forcefully chucked Renji to the floor on his ass, where he gave the orange-haired teenager a heated glare. He was then taken up to speed of the current situation concerning the Bounts, and how the last engagement saw the vampires a real danger to the town. Renji however in his infinite wisdom decided to poke funny at Ichigo by insulting his intelligence.

"At least his brain is leagues more than what's responsible for the red pineapple of yours." Ruby quipped, effectively turning the tables on Renji and saving the room from a possible brawl.

Ruby's words made Renji deflate on the spot as he grumbled under his breath. The girl in question gave a victorious fanged grin, shared by Ichigo as well at Renji's expense.

"So, have you figured a plan?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

The Kuchiki heiress shrugged. "I think we are just going to wing it, as you say."

"Good." Ichigo answered. "I guess we're done for today. We'll continue this tomorrow."

With some pleasant goodbyes, Rukia, Orihime, and Chad left with their Mod Soul partners and returned to their respective homes, the former pair staying at Orihime's. Ichigo was wanted nothing more than to sleep for the rest of the night with his shinigami duties done. He had changed into his sleeping wear and made himself comfortable under the sheets of his bed. Ichigo would have fallen asleep there if it weren't for the alien warmth resting next to him.

The Kurosaki's eyes bugged out in shock staring back at mirthful silver inches away from his face. There on his left side towards the window was Ruby currently snuggling up to him in the same bed. In the wake of everyone leaving, she had stayed just outside the room and her acquired skills in stealth made him none the wiser. She had also changed, wearing tight red pants and a black tank top for perfect comfort.

"Ruby, what are you doing!?" Ichigo shrieked in a whisper.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ruby said, sauntering closer to Ichigo's side. "I want to sleep with you for tonight."

"Ruby." Said Ichigo exasperated.

He tried to move out of the bed, but found that Ruby's arms were entangled around him to prevent any form of mistake. He looked back at Ruby wanting to ask her to let him go, only to see that despite the mirth in her silver eyes her cheeks were blushed a deep crimson. Despite doing the bold action first, Ruby was just as embarrassed as Ichigo was in this intimate contact.

"Please, Ichi-kun." Ruby almost pleaded, her voice soft with affection. "At least try it for this one night. For me."

"... Okay, just don't do anything weird please." Ichigo relented, forcing himself to abandon his embarrassment and trying to ignore the incredible soft sensation of two warm 'pillows' pressing on his left side.

"I promise." Ruby whispered, resting her head on Ichigo's shoulder.

 _'He feels so warm.'_ Ruby thought blissfully.

Ichigo watched as Ruby drifted off to sleep, leaving only a peaceful smile on her beautiful face. He found himself quite liking that face that suited Ruby so well. As sleep slowly began to take hold on him, he reached out his calloused hand to brush back a few strands of her crimson-tipped hair dangling over her face.

 _'This feels... really nice.'_ Ichigo thought before sleep took him.

* * *

(The Next Day)

It was safe to say that both Ichigo and Ruby woke up that morning burning red on their faces, and it wasn't missed by either Isshin or the twin sisters. Isshin's smile at the pair was enough of an indicator of his present thoughts during breakfast and Yuzu was constantly switching glances between her older brother and Ruby that had basically become a de facto member of their family. Karin's reaction was the most pronounced as she constantly stared at the two trying and failing to understand the new dynamic between Ichigo and Karin.

"All we did was just sleep together." Ruby admitted in a mumble.

Karin's eyes widened to the point of popping out when she overheard the little tidbit from Ruby. Isshin for once was trying his hardest to breakdown in laughter or hugging his son in pride. Yuzu's expression was simply a mix of confusion as she was too busy preparing breakfast for everyone.

To the couple's fortune, they were able to leave the house early to get to school. Rukia had blended back into the school livelihood as if her departure was just yesterday all due to a shinigami device that manipulated the memories of the entire school to do so. The only ones unaffected were those in tuned to their spiritual pressure, including Uryu despite having lost his Qunicy powers.

Ruby had not seen her teammates for a while since she returned to the high school academy. She occasionally saw the faces of JN(P)R around with Senna, and took a double take of the surreal scene of Jaune being stalked by a crowd of female admires trying to woo him. Key word being tried as Jaune was too innocent for his own good and rapidly fled for his life. Ren on the other hand never had this sort of trouble with a crowd mostly due to Nora always at his side glaring at any other girl coming close to him. Just those little facts were enough to tell Ruby of how the schools on Earth are a totally different dynamic from Signal and Beacon on Remnant.

It was during recess where Ichigo and his friends were outside that Ruby was walking in the halls of the school until she was nabbed from around the corner. After blinking the daze out of her eyes, Ruby found himself staring back at Weiss, Blake, and Yang all looking at their team leader with eyes of wonder. Yang had Ruby trapped by the grip on the red-tipped raven-haired girl while her face leaned in closer on her 'little sister'.

"You were staying at Ichigo's place last night." Yang stated.

"Uhm, yes." Ruby answered meekly like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

"You slept with your boy toy, didn't you?" Yang said, a grin spreading her face.

"... Yes." Ruby said, lacking any of her teasing attitude and wanted nothing more than to shrink into her clothes.

"Details, Ruby, I need details." Exclaimed Yang frantically. "How was he? How did he feel when you snuggled close to him? Was it nice?"

Every word from Yang had the effect of making Ruby blush in a darker shade of red than her cloak, and the memory of last night persisted at the forefront of her mind. She had to force herself from releasing a blissful sigh of the memory; how Ichigo felt so warm under her and how his left arm wrapped around her made her feel so safe. However, Yang's words also had the undesired effect on Blake who was blushing a dangerous amount as her mind drifted to more adult interpretations of the blonde's questions. Neither Ruby or Weiss ever saw the small leak of blood flowing down Blake's right nostril.

"... He's so warm..." Ruby mumbled under her breath. "... And he's like the perfect pillow..."

That was all Yang was able to get out of Ruby until she saw the arrancar snap her head to attention. Her reiatsu sensory abilities picked up a rise of Ichigo's spiritual pressure, indicating that one of the Bounts have been detected. She leveled a serious look to Team RWBY, bringing the professional Huntresses to the forefront.

They were soon running out of school grounds and across the town till they had caught up to Ichigo's group. Once they were out of sight, they left their gigais and turned them into Soul Candies to consume later. They arrived at the source of the Bount activity at an abandoned parking lot. RWBY and JN(P)R cringed at the clothes lying in piles of ashes that were previously living people, and the culprit was the asshat from the last night with a woman in his clutches.

Utagawa scoffed. "Not you people."

As soon as Utagawa let go of the woman, Ruby had sprung into action disappearing in burst of sonido. The vampire could not process Ruby's speed before he was sent back by a kick. Jaune, Nora, and Ren settled in the back to prevent the Bount from escape while Ichigo took up the rear guard behind Team RWBY in case they needed his superior firepower.

"Blake, get the woman to safety." Ruby ordered. "Weiss, this guy likes to make a lot of snakes, so make a lot of ice to freeze them all in place. And Yang - smash!"

Yang flashed her leader a grin before bursting into motion with a bang from Ember Celica, her asauchi held in reverse grip in her left hand. Utagawa had recovered from the remains of a wall he crashed only to meet a harsh haymaker from Yang. His body sprawled across the ground till he hit a car with enough force to shatter the windows.

"Wow, you have the most punchable face I have ever seen." Yang mocked as she accosted to the Bount.

Utagawa growled, summoning Fried. "Know your place, food."

The snake whipped out in order to lacerate Yang's skin, but the blonde was able to backpedal away out of range. Utagawa pressed on the attack again to harass RWBY while also creating lashes in the ground. With powers of his Doll, the cracks turned into multiple snakes that surrounded them.

Weiss acted accordingly stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground in her right hand. The blade produced a mystical ice that flash froze the asphalt and the snakes that slithered on the ground. Next, Weiss thrusted forward with her asauchi in her left hand intending to impale the Bount. Utagawa dodged away at the last second, but was left with a deep cut across his stomach from the blade. Ruby struck in his distracted attention to plant a knee into his gut, the blow rocketing him to crash into a car with enough force to shatter the windows.

His vision was filled with blonde hair as Yang picked the Bount up by his collar. His Doll, Fried, tried to bite into Yang's neck, but the serpent received a white bolt of Byakurai aimed perfectly by Ren. Utagawa was then at the mercy of Yang, who had punched the Bount square in the face with enough force to stop a speeding truck.

And Yang began to punch him again and again... and again. Each punch from Yang disfigured more of Utagawa's face from the pristine perfection of immortality to a drunk artist's work of bruises and broken bones. A pile of teeth was piling on the ground at Yang's feet and blood was gushing out from split lips and a broken nose. The sounds of her fists meeting face were becoming more of a squishy sound then the crack of bones.

"Why *BAM* is *BAM* your *BAM* face *BAM* so *BAM* punchable?!" Yang cried ecstatically through gritted teeth.

"... Gwt frwr hwds uff mwe, fru frwdl." Utagawa tried to make words when he was given a rare moment of pause from Yang's onslaught.

Right before she started to punch the creepy and entitled bastard again. However, Yang's arm was held back by the elbow before she could deliver the 30th blow on the Bount. Glancing back, crimson met crimson, and Yang relented knowing that Ruby wanted to take charge now. She knew that the frightening change of Ruby's eyes from their dazzling silver to the black and red eyes of a Hollow meant that Utagawa was in for a world of hurt.

However, the Bount was not to give up so easily to 'food' in his eyes, and his Doll Fried made on last attempt to strike down Ruby with her fangs. The Doll never made it to Ruby's exposed neck and was caught in a vicious vice grip just below the head. Her raw strength as an arrancar tightened her hold on the sentient weapon till it ghostly cries turned into wails of pain.

"Weiss, freeze this thing." Ruby said, tossing up Fried into the air.

A smirk spread on Weiss' face as she pointed her rapier and with a shot of blue dust froze the Doll in a block of ice. Utagawa tried to summon his partner's power, but it was no use as Fried's gaze was aimless trapped in her frozen prison. Suddenly, he found an incredibly strong grip around his throat and was forced to stare into red eyes wrapped in pitch black brimming with enough cold fury to freeze the world down. He was slammed down to the ground and pinned down with Ruby's foot on his chest.

"We can make this so much better for you if you choose to cooperate." Ruby threatened, her voice flat and sharp as her zanpakuto aimed at his heart. "What are you planning taking the souls of the living in Karakura? We know Bounts can survive a soul after it has passed on, so why go the extra mile?"

Utagawa scoffed with an ugly smile. "Why you ask? Well, a fresh, live soul tastes so much better - AAUUGH!"

(R)WBY, JNPR, Rukia, Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad cringed as Ruby stabbed her zanpakuto blade into his side directly into the kidney. She removed her blade the next second, causing a splatter of blood to emerge from the fresh wound, and then punted the Bount across the parking lot to crash into a concrete wall.

"Yang, can you bash him with a car?" Ruby asked in a tone that allowed no quarter to deny her.

Using her impressive strength, Yang heaved up a motor vehicle by a few inches of the ground and ran it toward Utagawa like a battering ram. The Bount cried in pain as his ribs broke and was followed shortly of him coughing mouthfuls of blood. His attention went back to Ruby, her footsteps clicking against the asphalt ground.

"Let's try this again." Ruby hissed, her spiritual pressure rising to create an aura of red around her. "What are you doing eating living souls?"

"Ha-ha-ha." Utagawa laughed through his choking fits on his blood. "Y-You think I will just give you what you want, girl!? I have lived far longer before your forefathers were ever conceived! Do me whatever pain you wish or threaten me with death if you want, it will not matter. If there is one fear that is permanent for the centuries I have lived, it is the punishment of failure by my master."

Ruby forced herself to take in a deep breath. "You know, when I smell your reiatsu, it's like an assortment of different smells from a flower shop or a buffet. Hollows share the same trait, if the smell wasn't so old and disorganized. It is because of all the unique reiatsu you have consumed and it surrounds your own like a shell. But I can 'sniff' through all those scents till I find the core. I find your true self without any of the other souls hiding you away, and all I find is filthy rot! Your soul is so black that you have no remorse for the lives you've not only murdered, but defiled for your sick pleasures."

She knew the moment she felt Utagawa's true reiatsu that Ruby hated this man. He was a man of the lowest scum that ridiculed anyone around him for his own selfishness. It went against Ruby stood for protecting innocent people and her very nature to preserve life. This man would rather see the world burn if it would get a laugh from him.

"Why should I regret an act that is the same of regular man eating sheep or lamb?" Utagawa said without hesitation. "Because that is what you all are. We Bouts are the natural higher order in the world while the rest of you are cattle to fill our bellies. So what so wrong if I can't play with my food if I want?"

"I'm almost glad you're not going to talk." Ruby snarled, her reiatsu screaming murder as her Hollow instincts influenced her mind. "I can't stand to look at you. Someone who has no remorse for the lives he's ruined, just for his own enjoyment. You sicken me."

Jaune, Nora, and Ruby's teammates were sending uneasy looks at the arrancar heated attitude. It wasn't the same Ruby they knew from Beacon, but more of a ravenous wolf out for blood. Her teeth were barred in a snarl revealing her canines, and her hair whipped about slightly from her spiritual pressure.

"What are you going to do?" Taunted Utagawa. "Kill me? Please. You don't have the-"

 **"Cero."**

Light and sound were drowned out as a crimson doom blast encompassed the spot where Utagawa once stood, and when the smoke cleared there was only ashes and the back half of the care Yang used. A couple pairs of eyes stared in disbelief at the arrancar, her right hand stretched with her index finger pointed forward shaking slightly. Rukia had frozen on the spot in shock at the tremendous amount of Hollow reiatsu produced, wondering just what happened to her friend. Ichigo and Yang approached Ruby sensing the discomfort emanating from her.

"Ruby..." Yang said softly, planting a hand on her team leader's right shoulder, "what... happened to you there?"

Yang knew that her 'little sister' had changed drastically from the time she first 'died' shortly after Mistral. But seeing it was an entirely different matter. The Xiao Long was no stranger to killing, but it didn't go right with Ruby who she remembered to be the bubbly girl wanting to be a hero. This was a heavy load for Yang to take in at the sight seeing her kill so suddenly, even if it was such a sociopathic asshole.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Ichigo wondered.

The arrancar glanced back at Ichigo, her right eye shifting back to silver on eye contact with her fellow hybrid. She slightly leaned against his body and her stance relaxed, but her eyes seemed a bit dim.

"I'm fine." Ruby muttered. "That man was disgusting."

"If you say so, but you don't look so cheery." Ichigo noted. "How about on the way back to Karakura High, I'll get you some strawberry ice cream?"

"Really?" Ruby perked up, her wolf ears pointing up adorably. "But... I have my strawberry here."

The remaining three members widened their eyes and exchanged shocked looks. The effect Ichigo had on Ruby was baffling how instantly positive it was. It was almost miraculous how much Ruby opened up to the three-way hybrid just like that. They were still unnerved at the prospect of Ruby being able to kill, but they can rest peacefully knowing Ichigo can always be there to comfort their leader.

* * *

 **I have no excuse for my late update except that university life has no mercy and that I have other stories to work on as well. Luckily I am on break, and you can expect more frequent updates soon with my new free schedule for the week.**

 **So yeah, I killed off Utagawa. Did not really see any value of him being alive like in canon, so I had a little fun torturing the sick bastard. But now that Uryu hasn't gone to the hospital, I am kind of lost how to deal with those annoying Bount twins with their water Dolls. Please leave a review to help me with that.**

 **And here are some new ideas I have been brainstorming.**

 **White Light of Life, a RWBY and Green Lantern crossover.**

 **Summary: "Life. Life is precious." As a silver-eyed warrior, Ruby is naturally tuned to protect life as a hero. So what do you get when you have a simple soul full of love of life and a powerful artifact fueled by life itself? You get the champion of the Entity, the most powerful White Lantern in the universe.**

 **-White Lanterns: Ruby Rose, Summer Rose (resurrected).**

 **-Violet Lanterns: Pyrrha Nikos. (Prepare for yandere Pyrrha.)**

 **-Green Lanterns: Jaune Arc, Oscar Pine.**

 **-Indigo Lantern: Weiss Schnee.**

 **-Blue Lantern: Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie.**

 **-Red Lantern: Yang Xiao Long (may change.)**

 **-Yellow Lantern: Blake Belladona.**

 **This is just food for thought that I wanted to share. Let me know in the reviews.**

 **Red Campione, a second attempt at a RWBY, Fate/Stay Night, and Campione crossover, included in the fanfic world of 'God-Slaying Blade Works'.**

 **Summary: Team RWBY is sent to investigate an ancient temple led by Doctor Oobleck. There they find Gilgamesh himself, locked in the temple as a prisoner as a failure to unite the world under the rule of the gods. He makes Ruby kill him under the threat of the death of her team, effectively making her his legacy and the ninth Campione upon his death. Unfortunately, the prison destabilizes without Gilgamesh there and sends Team RWBY to a new world in the fallout, one worse than the hordes of Grimm. Romance/Adventure/Humor. Important characters include Team RWBY, Shirou, Godou, and Illya.**

 **Slain Heretical Gods by Ruby (planned): Gilgamesh, Oda Nobunaga (Nasuverse), Ares, Ishtar, Gawain, Arjuna (Berserker).**

 **Authorities:**

 **-Gate of Babylon (No explanation needed)**

 **-The Hajunn Reborn: Demon King of the Three Thousand Great Thousand Heavens: The Heavens of the sky fall into a rain of fire that brings utter destruction to the land before her and is effective against deities.  
** **Chant: "The path of my conquest is paved by the innumerable corpses of the gods and Buddha and all living beings."**

 **-Sunshine: Grants increasing strength to the Campione reaching a peak till high noon. Any recognized allies of the Campione will receive a partial share of the power.**

 **-Gugalunna, the Bull of Heaven.**

 **-Sword of War: The great Sword of Mars from the Nasuverse.**

 **-Weapon Mastery: Any weapon Ruby picks up she can instantly master and enhances it to legendary proportions.**

 **These are the Authorites I can think of for Ruby based on the gods she will slay in the story. Let me know the appropriate authorities**

 **Slain Heretical Gods by Shirou: Angra Mainyu, Mordred, Hades, Perseus, Karna, Arthur Pendragon, Rama.**

 **Authorities.**

 **-Unlimited Blade Works: Shirou's own 'Authority' that allows him to copy any blade or blade-like weapon, including powerful magical artifacts. At its peak, it summons Shirou's Reality Marble that warps reality itself into his own personal world where there lies a land of infinite swords.**

 **-Evils of Humanity: An Authority that grants effects to Shirou's weapons that give evils to his enemies that are quite deadly.**

 **-Treasures of the Underworld: Grants Shirou access to the unlimited wealth of the Underworld.**

 **-Vasavi Shakti: The spear of Karna made to kill the gods.**

 **-Brahmastra: Grants Shirou powerful fire-based attacks similar to mana burst.**

 **This is the Shirou from God-Slaying Blade Works, one of my favorite fanfics. These are the Authorities he has as a Campione after slaying Angra Mainyu, Hades, Mordred, and Perseus and the rest are my take on who he will fight next. Let me know what Authorities he actually has from the fanfic, and what he might get from the list of Heretical Gods on his kill list.**

 **Up next is Chapter 53.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	53. Unbalanced

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter: Unbalanced**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

Strawberry ice cream bought by a boyfriend worked wonders bringing back Ruby's cheery mood, almost as if she didn't kill a sociopath earlier in an unstable state. Blake could tell that this wasn't the first time she had killed. Yang and herself were prepared to end Adam's life if necessary, but the way Ruby went about it with that raging spiritual pressure was wrong in a way. The way it went about was too ruthless like a predator finishing off prey.

The whole thing put an ominous atmosphere around Ruby, so it was all the more amazing how a few words and ice cream from Ichigo could change that back to the Ruby they knew. There was something about the three-way hybrid that gave Ruby this euphoric sensation of tranquility. When she was close to him, the smile on their leader's face got all the more brighter because she felt perfectly safe in Ichigo's embrace. She felt that nothing will ever come to harm her, even if it was the end of the world. Ichigo had this way of giving that vibe that he'll always be there whenever Ruby was in any sort of trouble and get rid of it.

 _'I'm almost jealous.'_ Blake thought, lamenting how her relationship with Adam was all the more opposite to what Ruby has.

The most disturbed was Yang, who was finding it harder to put her little 'sister' in place of Ruby what was now. What their leader just did made Ruby an entirely different person sharing only the same face and hair. Even her eyes were different when they bled a more menacing red than Yang could ever muster. For that moment, Ruby looked like a Grimm, but that was a topic they could not afford to waste on. Not while the Bounts were still at large despite now down one man.

"What's the plan now?" Weiss wondered.

Senna, JN(P)R, RWBY, Ichigo, Orhime, Chad, and their Mod Soul companions had rendezvous back at Kisuke's shop in afternoon. Ururu, Jinta, and the former shinigami captain himself were sitting opposite them from the small round table in the room. Renji was also present sitting at the sidelines, but Blake noticed he was sending very wary glances towards Ruby accompanied with a flash of fear.

 _'Please don't chain me up. Please don't chain me up.'_ Renji thought hysterically, seeing Ruby was the same person that was haunting him in his nightmares recently.

"We may have finished off one of the aggressive Bounts." Kisuke said, "However, since we failed in getting information of their objective we're basically back to square one. And in the wake of the death of one of their own, the enemy will be far more cautious."

"Damn." Cursed Ichigo. "Where's Yoruichi? With her speed, she would be great in scouting the town for them."

"I'm afraid I am not at liberty to say." Kisuke said, getting a shocked expression from the hybrid couple. "All that I know is that she hasn't come home yet."

"This is my fault." Ruby spoke glumly, grabbing wide eyes from the people around her. "If I didn't lose control there, we still would have someone to interrogate. Instead I..."

Ichigo's hand went to hold Ruby's left shoulder in comfort, drawing her silver eyes to his warm orbs. They had the instant effect of bringing back that sparkle in her eyes, bringing back from her sour mood.

"It's alright, Ruby-hime." Ichigo comforted.

"Jeez, if you keep doing that to my sis, I'm gonna get worried." Yang teased, only to get a glare from Weiss and Blake. "What?"

"Ichigo's right, you can't take the blame." Kisuke added. "From what we can say about that Utagawa guy, he'd hardly break from us due to his own entitled ego. That and we couldn't afford having a sociopath like him remain alive. He may have caused a serious commotion that would attract attention to the supernatural, and we can't have that."

"That would be bad." Senna said. "We can't have people start believing in vampires and have actual proof, but this still isn't good. We have no lead into what they are doing. More people are going to die because of this."

I really want to stab those vampires now." Nora said with the most venom she could muster.

"We'll make them pay, I promise." Jaune said with a sigh. "The best we can do is stay on alert. And, well, I would say more but at this point Pyrrha would also say something to encourage us."

No one noticed except Ichigo how Ruby tensed up at the mention of Pyrrha, and the perfect arrancar had to hold in a grimace. For over a week, Ruby had been struggling to tell Jaune and Nora, especially the former, that Pyrrha was 'around'. That she went into the Soul Society in the afterlife instead working as a shinigami, but had lost memory of her previous life until Ruby came around. How Pyrrha despite getting her memories back also had the thirst for blood and was the Kenpachi's adopted daughter!

Ruby was afraid of telling Jaune, and it was also tearing Ruby apart not to tell him. To Jaune, Pyrrha was a woman who he failed to reciprocate her love to him, and it crushed him everyday following her death. If Ruby told him now, Jaune would not stop going to Soul Society itself, which was full of shinigami were mostly not so lenient on trespassers, and get to Pyrrha to see her again. Most likely Pyrrha would be overjoyed to see Jaune again, but what really made Ruby terrified is what Kenpachi will do to Jaune!

 _'He'd be slaughtered on sight.'_ Ruby thought. _'Kenpachi isn't a guy that likes weaklings, and Jaune doesn't exactly paint a good picture on him. But I still have to tell him. I **need**_ _to tell him! He deserves to know!'_

After all they have been through in their time at Beacon and the following days, Ruby knew it

"The best we can do now is keep our senses sharp." Kisuke advised. "Ruby, if I may ask have you connected to your original zanpakuto?"

Ruby took a moment to blink in surprise before the question processed through her head. She slightly sulked at the answer, but spoke anyway.

"No, I haven't been able to talk to Mazarozu." Ruby said sadly, and unsheathed her new zanpakuto manifested when she became an arrancar. "And I don't know how to use this. I mean, I'm still strong, probably as strong when I am normally in Bankai, but I feel there is so much more to this. Why do you ask anyway, Uruhara-san?"

"I have a theory." Kisuke said, waving his fan. "You're imbalanced. Without a connection to your shinigami powers, you are left open to being influenced by your Hollow powers. Not by the manifestation, but the power that is coursing through you. It makes you rash and easy to fall to your emotions. It's because most Hollows are subject to their instinct like an animal."

"Oh." Ruby responded, not actually understanding what was being explained to her. "That's bad, right?"

"Depends on the situation." Kisuke said vaguely. "To put it simply, you have a nasty hair-trigger temper. But I highly recommend you still look for your original zanpakuto spirit."

"I already have my Inner Hollow on that." Ruby said. "We're sort on a mutual relationship, so no being taken over."

"Well that is a relief." Senna chirped. "I did not want to see that side of you... so many spikes..."

The natives of Remnant that were unfamiliar with Ruby's condition gave said hybrid quizzical looks, who only shrugged with a sheepish expression. Cristina had given Ruby a very good image of what she looked during Hollowifcation, and it left her wondering why her Adjuchas form favored spikes so much. At least in her Vasto Lorde form she looked cool, if very terrifying.

 _'Cristina, please find Mom soon.'_ Ruby prayed in her mind.

* * *

(Ruby's Mindscape)

"HOW ####ING HARD IS IT TO FIND THIS HAG!?"

Cristina's shout was let out in a primal roar that reverberated throughout the entire mindscape like a shockwave. The spiritual sister of Ruby was different than last time. Since reconvening with Ruby, she was far more relaxing in her powers, which then went to her appearance. Curled horns grew from her head along with most of her face covered in bone mask of a Beawolf. Only her mouth was visible revealing red lips and pale skin.

She had foregone the copy clothes of her sister with her combat skirt and red cloak and donned garments that suited to what she believed was herself. A black armor corset was placed on around her torso with two plates highlighting her bust and leaving the space between her neck and chest visible. Wrapping around most of Cristina's figure was a fur cloak that functioned more as a cape featuring both a white exterior and a black interior. Around Cristina's waste was a belt holding up black pants plated in armor with a wolf-face buckle. Her feet were wearing black boots reaching near her knees.

And let's ignore the fact she has a giant axe on her back.

The spirit was continuing this limbo that was the search for Mazarozu, a.k.a. the last remnant of the real Summer that manifested as a zanpakuto spirit when Ruby was exposed to spiritual pressure. The ways of Aura have only lightly touched on the powers of the soul, but when Ruby entered the Shattered Shaft it broke a dam that had been holding back a growing reservoir since then. If Ruby had stayed in Remnant, she may have grown one of the largest Aura capacities in the world, but here in this world of shinigami and killer ghosts named Hollows she was so much more. Her very soul was being affected, changing into something that was not human.

But ever since becoming an arrancar from that fiasco with that rogue Vasto Lorde, the mindscape had been become hectic. Once clear skies peering into the starry night were now dark with bolts of red lightning striking down. The roses and beautiful flora of the meadow still persisted against the tide, but they were under the danger of being buried by a slow fall of snow as well. Sometimes when Ruby had become vicious as recently with the killing of Utagawa the whole world would be buried in snow. It was only Ichigo's effect and the apparent connection between their mindscapes with Zangetsu that allowed the roses to grow out of the snow, if just barely.

Speaking of Zangetsu Y, the pale, perverted clone of Ichigo was trying his own attempt at finding Mazarozu with limited effect. The problem was that Cristina and Zangetsu Y were the gateways between the mindscapes of their respective wielders and one spirit could not go a certain distance away from the other. Cristina would not have brought the Hollow zanpakuto to Ruby's mindscape if she didn't have any other way, but Mazarozu was oddly very hard to find, and she had lived here the longest!

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Cackled Zangetsu Y.

Cristina growled threateningly at the zanpakuto, not entertaining to reply to his joke. After all, this was a search to find her mother, and she was glad of her choice of words. If Ruby was too good of a girl to swear, then she'll be the one to pick up the slack and make a sailor blush.

"At least it's not raining." Zangetsu Y commented, taking a look at the snow-covered meadow dotted with roses. "The Quincy bastard at home is such whiner when it comes to rain, and snow is so much better. Matches the drapes if you get what I mean."

Cristina made a gagging gesture as if she was going to vomit, making Zangetsu Y cackle in amusement. She should've expected this from Ichigo's Hollow zanpakuto. The real Ichigo was reserved and gentle, leaving his Inner Hollow to be the anti-thesis so to speak that gave him a perverted nature. Where Ichigo was all serious in the battle, Zangetsu Y lusted for battle as well as other things in life that Ichigo ignored. He was basically proof that Ichigo was a straight guy if the comments on Ruby earlier to go by.

"So," Zangetsu Y said, "how do you think I can get Ichigo to mo-"

"OH MY GODS, I AM GOING TO RIP OFF YOUR TONGUE IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER COMMENT ABOUT MY SISTER'S ASS AGAIN!" Cristina snapped, her lips pulled back to reveal rows of canine teeth ready to tear out said black tongue of Zangetsu Y.

"Who said it was about Ruby's butt?" Zangetsu Y teased.

SNAP!

Cristina gave a war cry as she tackled the Hollow zanpakuto to the ground. Nails turned into claws as they swung to rip into Zangetsu Y's flesh, but it was difficult with the zanpakuto's instinctive dodging capabilities. She eventually decided to go for the neck to choke the bastard. He may not die, but it would be so worth it.

"Kinky, aren't you?" Zangetsu Y noted as if he wasn't being choked.

"Show that tongue of yours so I can rip it off!" Roared Cristina as she proceeded to try and mull Zangetsu Y's face open.

* * *

(Back in the real world)

As Ichigo and Ruby rested a sudden migraine in their heads, the conversation continued on with Kisuke opening up with the substance traces left by the Bounts that carried a unique effect on space-reality.

"I've been debating whether or not to tell you this." Said Kisuke. "The reason were were initially interested in researching Bounts was because of a special substance they leave in the residue they created. It was harmless enough in small quanities, but if this substance became more concentrated it could possibly create affect space itself."

"Wha..." Nora said, totally lost in Kisuke's explanation.

"He means portals, Nora." Ren clarified for Nora.

"Oh." Nora perked up. "Still don't get it."

Ren visibly lurched as if he was going to fall to the floor.

"Can you give us anymore details so we know what we are dealing with here?" Rukia asked, brandishing a pen and notebook.

"This substance causes a reaction in the atmosphere causing a formation that can only be described as a tunnel between two separate planes of space." Kisuke explained, while Rukia scribbled in her notebook.

RWBY, Ichigo, Senna, and JN(P)R leaned over Rukia's shoulder to peak at her drawing, and most of their expressions visibly blanched. Rukia was doing her usual hobby of drawing this explanation through the use of poorly drawn bunny faces, which only served to further confuse them.

"Quit scribbling in that thing!" Ichigo said. "It's just confusing."

"Why do you have so many bunnies?!" Weiss admonished. "And what is that thing supposed to look like?! A space flower!?"

"I get bunnies, but it's making me confused." Jaune lamented.

"Oh, that makes so much more sense." Nora chirped.

Well, most of them anyway. Of course it would be Nora among them that could possibly make the most sense of what Rukia was drawing. Even Kisuke blinked in astonishment at the nonsense that was Rukia's way of explaining concepts through bunnies.

"Yeah, in a way." Kisuke said awkwardly. "It is a lot more complicated. You see it connects this world with Hueco Mundo, which is where the Hollows dwell. If Hollows gain unrestricted access."

"All of the shinigami patrols in the real world would be overwhelmed." Ren concluded with a grim expression. "And Remnant may follow."

Ruby stiffened, her silver orbs partially becoming red. "We **can't** let that happen."

"It would be a feeding frenzy." Kisuke said. "But this is one possibility, excluding Remnant since the Bounts have no knowledge of that ultra physical world. Still, that kind scenario of Hollows being unleashed is a 50 percent chance of happening."

"What kind of chances are those?!" Exclaimed Ichigo.

"Let's just say it is the most probable way of how the Bounts will act." Kisuke said.

Ruby sighed. "I guess we will have to stick our noses sharp when they come back."

Suddenly, the doors were roughly slid open, revealing the giant man of Tessai. He looked winded, a sign of coming here in a rush. Kisuke's full attention was one his old friend. Anything that put sweat on Tessai's brows was something that needed to be heard.

"I'm sorry for the interruption." Tessai apologized. "But I just received word that Uryu was put in the hospital. They say he was in a car crash, but it is more than likely he had just been attacked by a Bount."

"What?" Orihime exclaimed. "Oh no, is he going to be okay?"

"Could it have been a Hollow instead?" Ren wondered.

Tessai shook his head. "No, there hasn't been strong Hollow activity for a while."

"I guess we have our lead." Yang said, getting to her feet. "Let's go meet this Uryu person all of you know about and see what he knows."

Ruby had no time to give her two cents before Yang grabbed her arm and they bolted out the door with the rest of her team, followed closely by Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, Senna, and JN(P)R. Kisuke and Tessai shared a look before the former started chuckling.

"Eager, aren't they?" Tessai noted.

"Yes indeed, my friend." Kisuke said. "Such interesting people."

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapter is a little short. I am kind of in a rush to make these chapters. I am out of my university since the whole mess with the coronavirus, so I am back home with all of my stuff for an indefinite amount of time.**

 **I have to make up something to get Uryu in the hospital so the twins attack, but the fight will be much more easier there with Senna and her zanpakuto. It will probably be funny to see how the Remnanties deal with fighting water. I also had to make some sort of conflict with Ruby and her powers affecting her on a mental level. Summer Rose will be back soon, I promise.**

 **Here's another story I literally thought of when me and my friend were playing God of War.**

 **Fires of War, a God of War and Fairy Tail crossover.**

 **Summary: Thor and Odin came for Kratos far earlier, and Atreus had no choice but to watch his father battle against the Aesier gods himself. The God of War was overwhelmed, leaving Atreus vulnerable, but an unlikely ally in Freya comes to the boy's safety. Using forbidden magic, Freya sacrifices herself to save Atreus by sending to realms of the far beyond. Right on the island of Tenroujima during the S-class trials. What will the son of Kratos do armed with bow, axe, his father's blades, and a black fire within him? WendyxAtreus. Rated M.**

 **Yeah, I seriously don't know why. It doesn't leave my head until I share with you. I think I have a problem.**

 **Up next is Chapter 54: Water Puns.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


	54. Water Puns

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.**

 **Chapter 54: Water Puns**

 **(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")**

(Earlier in Karakura Town)

Since the end of the events of infiltrating the heavens of the Soul Society and fighting through hordes of shinigami that would make his ancestors proud, Uryu had found that life right now had a _mostly_ tolerable normality. The loss of his powers had forced him to live life as everyday beings go. He can still see Pluses and Hollows, from a distance of course from the latter, but Uryu simply had no way fighting them. However, he didn't regret his decision to damage his own powers beyond usability and was content to live without them. Uryu was already heading towards a successful life with his high-tiered academics at Karakura High that guarantee him a position at a wonderful university to then a wonderful career.

Uryu had no longing for battling against the supernatural, and he had high trust in the rest of the gang. Especially, and grudgingly, in Ichigo and Ruby given their monstrous strength that was unnatural even to the supernatural standards. With power like that, Uryu had little worry for them not being able to protect Karakura Town from Hollow attacks. Still he felt something abstract now that he was a spectator to these events without his Quincy powers. It was almost like he was dissatisfied not being able to help protect people anymore.

The powerless Quincy fixed his glasses up his nose whilst carrying groceries for home, his glasses taking an almost stark white reflection from the light of the sky. Dusk was approaching in a scant few hours indicated by the growing golden sheen from the lowering sun. As usual, the streets of Karakura are moderately full of people walking down the streets going about their day. It is nostalgic to see in Uryu's case how these people can be so blissfully unaware of the spiritual terrors that haunt them everyday of their lives, and it also gives credit to how well the shinigami do their job in protecting _most_ of the population. Most being the operative word as it was proven to Uryu in the Sereitei and his encounter with Mayuri Kurotsuchi that the shinigami themselves can be corrupt.

As Uryu approached a corner, he suddenly went on the defensive as the sound of panicked screaming reached his ears. His eyes locked ahead seeing civilians from the entire around the corner fleeing away. While this was certainly alarming, what unnerved Uryu was how aware of the apparent danger that Uryu assumed from how orderly they were running. If it was a Hollow attack, the fact that they were invisible would cause a much more chaotic reaction from the people as they would have no idea where to look for the attack. In this case, they knew and saw the danger.

It added more alarm and confusion to the situation when Uryu picked up on what they were screaming about.

"It's a monster. It's a freaking giant monster."

"That thing just tore down the wall of a building!"

"Why does that think have huge claws!?"

All these screams and then some gave all the more alarm to Uryu that this was beyond strange, even compared to supernatural standards. The description was enough to give credence to a Hollow, but what set it all off all of the civilians could see it. If it was some sort of animal Uryu could understand, but none of the local fauna are not dangerous and never venture out into town. Not to mention any of them can make a whole street flee in terror.

He didn't have to wait when the subject of the panic came around the corner. The panicked words from the civilians did not give credit to the literal monster that emerged from the corner. It was over a story tall in height on all fours and had pitch black hide. The general shape was a bear, but that is all it had in similarities. The rest of it was completely alien with bony plates covering its bulky body, humongous claws the size of his forearm, and a back covered in oversized spikes big enough to skewer people like a shish kabob.

Blood red eyes from darkness born on him. Uryu at first thought the creature was a Hollow until it stood on its hind legs to give a massive roar. There was no such a Hollow hole anywhere on its body, which came to the only conclusion that unnerved Uryu. That this thing was a real life monster. It ran into a charge after Uryu, who narrowed his eyes prepared for battle.

Just because he gave up his powers did not mean Uryu was never prepared for a fight against a threat from the supernatural. His hands reached into his coat pulling out a small device white in color. and from a small opening came an almost invisible wire shining blue. Refined instincts kicked in, allowing Uryu to successfully dodged the jaw that smashed through the cement sidewalk. The black creature swiped its left paw trying to slice its claws through the powerless Quincy, but Uryu leaped over it. He continued running and then sliding between the creature's legs. Back around Uryu came until he stopped a few meters away from the beat. Then Uryu pulled hard and the wire tightened entrapping the creature's left arm and leg. Despite its incredible size and power, it proved to not work on the wire that refused to break, and led to the creature collapsing due to imbalance.

"I may not have my powers anymore, but," Uryu said, pulling harder on the wire, "I refuse to give my title as a Quincy."

As Uryu pulled harder, the wire was showing signs of cutting into the black hide. Silber Draht was the name of the wire, a Quincy tool forged through their spiritual power. It made it virtually indestructible to physical trauma and like most Quincy weapons drained targets of spiritual energy. For Uryu, it made the perfect 'retirement' weapon if he ever was forced to fight against a Hollow that found him a neat morsel. When that happened, he was going to show those creatures that he can do more than bite back.

But this creature was different from a Hollow. For one, Uryu could not sense that it was weakening from having its reiatsu drained via the Silber Draht. In fact, Uryu had a feeling this monster before him did not have the capacity to generate spiritual energy, and it acted much more like an animal than a Hollow. There was a need for destruction in those red eyes rather than the ceaseless hunger Uryu was familiar with in the golden eyes of Hollows. Only the Silber Draht's invincibility kept the beast in place.

However, the creature was not so below to adapt to the current situation. The creature stopped struggling against its restraints and angled its back towards Uryu. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, and the next Uryu knew he was beset by a hail of those white spikes on its back. Uryu barely got away from the bulk of the attack, but one large spike managed to graze the side of his head enough to give him a concussion.

Uryu's sensations were muddled from the blow, and he felt light-headed as his concussion started to bleed rather in dangerous volumes. His grip on the Silber Draht loosened, allowing the creature to regain its balance with the return of its left limbs. It snarled in what Uryu thought was in triumph, and savored its soon-to-be-kill in its slow accost. Only a cold glare from the powerless Quincy was all Uryu could summon in defiance.

 _'So this is how a die.'_ Uryu thought. _'Not by a Hollow or shinigami, but by a giant prickly bear.'_

His concussion caused Uryu to fall into unconsciousness. Just as darkness took his vision, the last he saw was the giant bear spikes swallowed in unrelenting orange flames, then a beautiful of a bruenette woman with red lips.

* * *

(Present)

"... Uryu..." Shouted the voice of the most annoying person in the world, "... Uryu... you alright..."

With a groan, Uryu forced his eyes open back to reality for the first time since he lost unconsciousness. Instead of the cold ground of the sidewalk, Uryu was laying comfortably in a hospital bed. His head had a dull throb where his concussion was, now carefully bandaged. Uryu's eyes scanned the room, finding the design of the room belonging to his father's clinic, and seeing the familiar faces of Ichigo, Ruby, Ren, Senna, Orihime, and Chad as well as a considerable amount of new ones.

"I did not want to wake up hearing your annoying voice, Kurosaki." Uryu bit back at the three-way hybrid.

Ichigo sighed. "Well, at least we know that you are alright. What happened to you? Were you attacked by a Hollow?"

"Who's four-eyes over here?" Yang asked Ruby in a whisper.

"This is Uryu Ishida." Ruby summarized. "He is or was a spiritual-powered person called a Quincy. He helped out in our little rescue in the Soul Society, but lost his powers in the process. Think of him like a cross between Weiss and Blake."

"So heavily reserved and intelligent?" Weiss surmised.

"Or princely and reads pornography?" Yang joked, but the deadpan looks from the rest of her teammates showed their lack of amusement. "You guys have no humor."

Uryu had also overheard Yang's comment and his eyes were locked on a cold stare on the buxom blonde as they twitched erratically. Just one second he had met this person, and already she went above Ichigo in the 'dislike' apartment.

"Yes, I was attacked." Uryu admitted. "At first, I thought it was a Hollow, but the people were able to see it. I soon found out it was no Hollow, but it was no natural thing. It was a true real life monster."

"A real monster?" Ren wondered with a quirked eyebrow while Nora and Jaune were slightly confused on the matter. "What did it look like?"

"Well, on the base it looked a very large bear, possibly the size of a building on just all fours." Uryu described, holding his chin in thought trying to recollect his memories of the incident. "It was pitch black in color with bony plates covering its body and a white face. Its back however was covered in humongous spikes big enough for one to punch a hole through my gut. Notably, it these crimson eyes, and it acted more of a rabid animal than some Hollows I have encountered. The weird thing about it is that it didn't possess reiatsu."

"Huh." Responded Jaune. "That sounds perfectly like an Ursa Major. I remembered when one scared and... I..."

Slowly, the horrifying realization came upon them like a ton of dropped bricks. The humor from Yang left her face, and Weiss was considerably pale. None more so were more profound to Ruby, whose eyes were wide with panic. That didn't sound _like_ a Grimm. It was a description of a Grimm, one that had landed itself on Earth.

"If that was a Grimm," Blake said, "that means that-"

"There could be more?" Weiss said. "Or that someone has active travel between Earth and Remnant? I don't know which one is worse."

"No..." Whimpered Ruby, clutching her head. "No, no, no, no, no! This is the worst thing that I didn't want to happen. If - if Grimm can come here to Earth, then that means - that means Hollows can go to Remnant."

"Ruby, easy!" Ichigo calmed down his girlfriend, holding Ruby by her shoulders to give her steady comfort. "It's going to be alright. It was just one Grimm, and there haven't been any other cases of panic in Karakura. We'll find whoever is doing this."

"What I am confused about is why we didn't pick up the Grimm on the radar?" Senna wondered. "Their basically like a different version of Hollows, right?"

"On the outside perhaps." Ren answered. "But the true distinction between Grimm and Hollows is that Grimm lack a soul, which in turn means they lack reiatsu. This means that not even a skilled sensor can even sense the Grimm being there. They are completely undetectable to shinigami means."

"That sounds like a whole lot of bad, Renny." Nora said.

The Remnanties fell into a dead silence, mulling over the potential both Earth and Remnant were in. For Remnant, they had no defense to a horde that can spontaneously appear through portals and will attack anyone with an Aura. The denizens of Earth had no proper means to combat the hordes of Grimm unlike Remnant that has learned through over a thousand years with the dark creatues. There was no good way to think about it.

"One last question." Ichigo said, switching to a different subject. "How'd you get away?"

"I didn't." Uryu revealed. "I was on my last leg and about to be a giant bear's new chew toy. The last I saw was this supposed 'Grimm' engulfed in flames and the face of a woman."

"That sounds like the Bount lady with the fire Doll." Ruby assumed. "But why would a Bount want with Uryu, and more importantly why keep you alive?"

"I have no idea." Uryu lamented.

"They may try again." Ren said. "I think it is best we stay in the hospital in case they come again."

Nora interpreted Ren's words in a different. "Are we doing a hospital sleepover, Renny~?"

Ren's eyes widened. "That's not what I-"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful." Orihime agreed. "I'll bring over sleeping bags for everyone."

"That's the way, sister." Nora cheered her fellow orange-head.

Ren sighed in exasperation. Knowing Nora, she had the tenacity to make her wild imaginations somehow into reality. With Orihime at her aid, it soon did devolve into a hospital sleepover to the staff's amusement.

* * *

(That Night)

Apparently, Uryu's father was very loose on ground rules at the hospital so a sleepover was possible. On the other hand, only Orihime, Nora, and unfortunately Ren. Unfortunate in that fact he was forced into this as a sleep Nora trapped him in her super strength hug and used him as a cuddle toy in their now shared sleeping bag. That goes a step farther for Ren's 'misfortune' seeing as Nora opted to go in her actual sleeping wear that _only_ had shorts and a shirt.

Which meant that as Nora was holding Ren close to her in a bear-like grip, there was a only one layer of _stretched_ fabric between himself and the pair of sizable 'warm pillows' pressing into his side. Quite frankly, this whole situation proved to Ren's emotional control and that only a red blush was present on Ren's face. This was the second time Nora had done this, but the difference was that the first time Nora dragged Ren in a shared bed was when they were children all alone. Now the whole circumstances were completely and both of them had reasonably grown into young adults. The term 'grown' worked more ways than one with Nora.

"Renny feels so soft~..." Nora's slurred words caused a casket to blow up within Ren, turning his whole face red.

His embarrassment was also increased at the fact he could feel Nora's fingers running over his torso and chest in circles, and the _reaction_ they were creating. Ren's stoic expression crumbled into that of silent terror as the situation was growing out of proportion. As soon as the 'impure' thoughts came to Ren's head surrounding his best friend, his thoughts devolved into hellish screams.

Everyone else was more professional than the couple and Orihime. Chad was sitting at a table with Yang, Blake, Weiss, Jaune, and even Renji, who were all in spiritual form. Most if not all the staff of clinic had left leaving the halls dark with the light turned off. The Mod Souls were sitting on a couch behind them constantly on the alert for Bount activity.

"Weeeiiisss..." Yang whined out, who was resting her head on her arms.

Weiss sighed. "What is it Yang?"

"I'm booorrreed." Yang drawled on.

Weiss' eyes twitched. "You've said that for the 20th time. Just... Just bear with us."

"But I'm bored." Cried Yang in mock hurt. "Blakey, help me not be bored."

Blake's cat ears twitched in irritation. Unlike the rest of her team, Blake occupied herself reading one of Ruby's light novels she had collected in her stay in her world. A quite... enrapturing book if she said so herself, and she was forced to look up from the book and glance at the bored blonde. Her golden eyes flicked between Weiss and Yang.

"No, I'm not dealing with this." The bookworm stated, going back to her reading.

"But Blakey/Blake you're my/her partner!" Weiss and Yang exclaimed simultaneously.

"Can you stop being you... for like five minutes?" Weiss implored, bordering on begging.

Yang looked to Jaune, but the blonde boy immediately raised his hands in a 'nope' gesture. He wasn't going to get himself into _that_ kind of mess.

In Uryu's hospital room, the powerless Quincy was fast asleep guarded by Rukia, Ichigo, and Ruby in spiritual form. It still made Rukia nervous of Ruby's presence given her very Hollow-like spiritual pressure, but it still held a good sensation to it similar to Ichigo. On the subject of the shinigami, Rukia had no idea how to distinguish Ichigo's reiatsu at all.

"Ruby, Ichigo..." Rukia spoke up, catching the couple's attention. "I'd like to say thank you."

Ichigo quirked an eyebrow. "For what?"

Rukia seemed to flush. "Just... because."

Ruby snorted. "I'm pretty sure thanks have been said when we got you out of the Sou Society. We'd gladly to it again."

"It's just that." Rukia tried to rationalize. "It's just well..."

"C'mon, you don't need to thank us, Rukia." Ichigo said. "Like Ruby said, we'd gladly do it again. That's just the kind of people we are. We'd fight-"

"Shh." Ruby suddenly shushed, her wolf ears perking up straight. "I hear something. The wall's started to rumble. Is that... water?"

As if on cue, the door to the bathroom exploded open by a flood of water. The sudden torrent went out of the room and into the hall where the rest of the crew were sitting. Senna was hit by the oncoming wave and tossed down the hall like a rag doll. She was saved from hitting the wall when Blake used her rope to snag her back.

"Thanks for the save." Senna said. "But... did water just fling me off?"

"Finally." Yang said with a wide smile, now free of boredom. "Now I'm getting - _pumped_ up?"

Blake's eyes widened. "No, you are not doing this. Not now!"

"I have no idea _water_ you talking about." Yang - _punned_!

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Muttered Blake incessantly.

But there was no stopping the puns from Yang. She had finally found something to relieve her of boredom and something to inspire a whole scroll of puns. The blonde was going to milk this as much as she could at the expense of her teammates' sanity. Once everyone reached the room where the flood came from, they were treated to the sight of Uryu being trapped in a bubble of water that threatened to choke him. Chad was the first to try and free Uryu, but his efforts of grabbing Uryu out were useless as the water had an odd intelligence of slithering and reforming.

"A Doll of water?" Ruby surmised. "Tch, just great. And I thought the lava monster was ridiculous. Weiss, can you freeze the water?"

"I could, but I might trap Uryu by accident." Weiss said.

Ruby almost smacked herself when an obvious solution came to mind. **"Hado 1: Sho."**

A telekinetic blast of reiatsu from Ruby's finger dissipated the water and Uryu coughing for air but thankfully alive. That however did not defeat the water-based Doll as the odd entity was still moving. Ichigo told everyone to move out of the room knowing it was unsafe, and ran back out into the dark halls with Chad carrying the Ishida on his back. They were not far from danger as tendrils of water would strike at them occasionally, quickly pushed back by Ichigo and Ruby slashing their zanpakuto through them or Weiss freezing them in place.

"This is so annoying." Weiss growled, freezing a splash of water aimed for Jaune's back.

"Getting _tide-_ erd, Weiss?" Joked Yang, punching a tendril of water with a shot of fire.

"By the gods, I am going to freeze your tongue!" Exclaimed Weiss.

In her scream, she wasn't able to react to the Doll suddenly capturing Chad and Uryu in a drowning embrace. It was Jaune who went into action and tackled the two out of safety. When the Doll tried to repeat, Jaune bashed the water away.

"Can you two please keep your head in the game?!" Jaune shouted. "I do not plan on dying by drowning miles away from any lake or ocean."

"Just _water_ are we going to do?" Yang half-punned, only to have to dodge a **Bala** that conveniently blasted a manifested Doll in front of her.

"Yang..." Hissed Blake, her eyes glaring like an angry cat ready to tear a fish apart.

"We have to find somewhere there isn't any water!" Ichigo said.

"I don't think that's happening." Ruby said, her wolf ears. "I can hear the patter of rain outside."

"Which means there's no escape for you." Said a sinister, yet oddly young voice from the darkness.

"Guhl and Gunther were tear you apart." Said an nearly identical voice.

"Bounts." Growled Ruby, smelling their scent in the air. "Ichigo, can you set down a barrier real quick?"

Ichigo nodded and stabbed his dual zanpakuto in their released states. **"Tsuki no Hogo."**

A dome of red, black, red, and white reiatsu surrounded the whole group and boiled away the water Doll whenever it got close. This gave the group much needed breathing room, and some like Jaune and Weiss sat down on the ground.

"Jeez, after all that I am feeling quite _flushed._ " Punned Yang. "Eh? Eh!? C'mon laugh."

"Oh my god, when can take the fact you're puns are not funny." Snapped Senna, gripping her hair in frustration.

Yang smirked playfully. "What are you _docking a-boat,_ wind girl? Don't you _sea_ the comedy gold? I could really _kr-"_

"AHHHHH, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Senna screamed, veins bulging on her forehead. "THAT'S IT. IF IT MEANS THIS FAT-CHEST BLONDE STOPS, I AM REDUCING THIS WHOLE CLINIC IN A TORNADO! GET THIS THING DOWN AND I WILL END THIS!"

Ichigo didn't needed to be told twice and lowered the shield, much to Uryu's protest about damages to the clinic. The Dolls struck back on the group to swallow them in water, but Senna was faster in releasing her zanpakuto.

 **"Bring them to the twilight, Mirokumaru."**

The blade glowed and transformed into the golden khakkhara with the pointed tip. While the water Dolls were fierce, they stood no resistance against her zanpakuto's raging winds that it summoned. Senna held nothing back blasting all of the halls with the storm tornadoes. She felt the Dolls try and fail to reform in the raging winds as well as the presence of two signatures near their location. Commanding her zanpakuto to bring them to light, Senna stopped Mirokumaru's rampage through the clinic.

Right on the ground in front them were seemingly two twin boys, but they knew better than that. There was a rage in their eyes that not even adults should possess, and they carried themselves as if they were a higher being than everyone else. Ruby noticed water collecting around two bottle caps, but Senna activated Mirokumaru's power to stop them reforming.

"Those bottle caps." Ruby said, pointing to the objects on the ground. "Destroy the bottle caps."

Ren was the one to go forward aiming his hand forward. A wordless Haien blasted from his palm and reduced the Doll constructs to dust. The group were then treated to the horrific sight of the twin 'boys' suddenly aging to a full human's lifespan right before their eyes. Their healthy skin reduced to a shriveled mess while they screamed in pain, and they finally died turning into dust.

"What the..." Blake gasped, eyes wide in shock and horror. "What happened to them?"

"The Dolls." Ruby noted. "The Dolls have to serve as an anchor to the living world. They may have looked like children, but they must've lived so long that without their Dolls they ceased to be."

"Brats... in any and all shapes... it's always the brats." Senna mumbled.

"Well," Yang spoke up, "that was a _si_ -"

"SHUT THE **** UP, YANG!"

"... You guys are no fun." Yang whined with a pout.

Blake, in an act of pity, bowed deeply before everyone. "I am so sorry for my partner's attitude."

And during all of this, Nora was snoring the entire time whilst dreaming of her Renny and herself stabbing vampires with stakes. Too bad she missed out on offing two.

* * *

 **I really wanted to get this chapter out before the end of the day, so sorry if it is a little rush. I figured with Senna there, the power of Mirokumaru would overwhelm the Guhl and Gunther Dolls since they are constructs of water. Who also hates Yang's incessant, but you also got to love childhood romance? That is main thing I wanted to take from this chapter to bring Nora and Ren just a little bit closer through initial physical attraction. And I figured that Nora would be the first to make the moves.**

 **I have these new story ideas. This time, these come from suggestions that myself and my friend, Haxorus knight, have been discussing through chat. We have two possible stories.**

 **Successor to Madara, a RWBY and Naruto crossover.**

 **Summary: Ruby has a much more powerful legacy than none would believe. From her mother's side, her great-grandfather is a man that had entire nations in fear of his name. That man is Madara from the Elemental Nation, and very much alive. It is at the age of six shortly after Summer's death that she is retrieved by Tobi to Madara where she shall be trained to be his ultimate legacy to pass on to. Cause whoever said Madara was bad at being a great-grandfather? Silver EMS Sharingan Ruby. Scorch/Crystal Release Ruby. RubyxOC. Rated M for adult themes and lemons.**

 **The Overlady, a RWBY and Overlord crossover.**

 **Summary: That need for strength, even in the purpose of doing good, can create a seed of darkness. Ruby, freshly at Signal, more than anything wants to be strong to be like her mother but is frustrated in her shortcomings. It is then that seed for evil is born, but never grown due to Qrow's tutelage. What if another force came to her sooner than Qrow in the form of an immortal goblin named Gnarl, gifting both strength, power, and an empire? How could a girl at that point say no? Overlady Ruby. RubyxOC. Rated M for intense lemons.**

 **So yeah, those are the new stories that my friend and I discussed over, and we are still working out the details. Here's one of my own.**

 **Guadoko, Collector of Heroes, a Fate/Stay Night and Highschool DxD crossover.**

 **Summary: So it all started when Guadoko was spying on her best friend's date, only to find out said date killed her best friend. Trying to save Issei, Guadoko had unlocked her Sacred Gear Sephiroth Grail, but something is not right. For one, there's nine of them, and how is she's the master of who!? The only thing that Guadoko knew - was that she was going to have the greatest collection of heroes. Surrender your Saint Quartz. Semi-species/Type-Moon Grail Sacred Gear. Demonic-like Guadoko. Slight OP, but only because of her EX Rank Luck at getting the SSR heroes.**

 **I will be working on either Shining Light, Rose Dragon Empress, or start Red Campione after this.**

 **So who else hyped that the Bleach anime is finally coming back after _nine_ years!?**

 **Up next is Chapter 55.**

 **Stay in touch. Please, _please_ leave a review.**


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